Armed dacoits loot Rs 34.71 lakh from Baripada UCO Bank

Baripada, Oct 9 (UNI) Six armed dacoits today looted over Rs 34.71 lakh from the UCO bank, at the busy market area here, at gun point.

Police said as soon as the bank opened, the dacoits barged into the bank and confined all the employees in one room. They also snatched away their mobile phones.

They then took the bank manager and cashier to the strong room and asked them to open the safe at gun point.

The dacoits soon decamped with the booty without even giving any chance to the employees to raise an alarm.

Police, on being informed about the incident, rushed to the bank and sealed all the exit points and launched combing operations to nab the miscreants.

Deputy Inspector General B Mohapatra and Mayurbhanj Superintendent of Police S K Singh rushed to the spot.

This was the second dacoity in UCO Bank in Orissa during the last fortnight.

On a similar modus operandi, armed dacoits had entered the UCO bank located at the main road bazar in Rourkela on September 28 and looted Rs 35 lakh from the strong room at gun point.

Police suspected that the dacoits involved in the Rourkela UCO bank loot were from outside the state.

No one has been arrested in connection with the incident so far, police said.

However, in today's incident, police did not rule out the possibility of involvement of some staff members of the bank.

UNI