10 armed robbers stormed a Punjab National Bank branch in Ukhrul district of Manipur, held the staff at gunpoint and decamped with Rs 18.85 crore.
Manipur Violence: Armed gunmen stormed a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Ukhrul district of Manipur and decamped with Rs 18.85 crore in cash on Thursday. The brazen heist was captured on the bank’s CCTV cameras and showed at least 10 unidentified assailants, armed with assault rifles and handguns, heckling and herding the bank staff into a side room.
The footage of the heist, which has gone viral on social media platforms, shows the armed robbers– some with faces covered with bandanas– forcibly herding the bank staff into a room at gunpoint.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:
Manipur’s biggest money heist! Masked and armed, gang loots over ₹18 crore from Punjab National Bank, Ukhrul. pic.twitter.com/Ah6oT7GA74
— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) December 1, 2023
Some of the armed attackers are seen hauling away large gunny bags, presumably containing cash, even as their accomplices stand guard at the bank’s entrance while others push the staff and lock them inside a backroom at the bank.
Giving details, a senior police official said the robbery took place on Thursday evening when the bank manager and the staff had finished up the daily transaction and deposit activities but were still inside the premises with the main gate shutter downed.
Suddenly, 10 armed assailants– dressed in Khakis, combat fatigues, and tracksuits– stormed the premises via a staff-only entrance, overpowered an on-duty security personnel near the Strong Room. The robbers then besieged the bank, held the manager and staff and the manager and looted Rs Rs 18.85 from the bank before making their escape.
Manipur Police said they have registered a case in this regard and the manager as well as other staff of the bank are being questioned, adding that a manhunt has been launched to nab the robbers.
Talking to reporters, M Kumuni, the branch manager revealed that eight security personnel had been posted for duty but not all were present at the bank when the robbery took place.
This is the third bank robbery in conflict-torn Manipur since ethnic violence broke out in the northeastern state on May 3 this year.
The Manipur violence
Over 200 people been killed and several hundreds injured since the ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 this year, after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.