Dacoits loot Rs 13.5 lakh from Dena Bank coffer

Durgapur, July 13 (UNI) Armed dacoits today looted nearly Rs 14 lakh from Bhiringi branch of Dena Bank here after locking all its staff and some customers in office canteen, police said.

The robbers, seven in number, raided the Bank at the busy market area at about 1010 hours taking eight bankmen and four customers to canteen room and locking them from outside. Then they identifed cashier Somnath Mukherjee and forced him to open the chest after hitting him with a revolver butt.

In few minutes they exactly grabbed Rs 13,66,210 and fled with the booty. The crime took place in few minutes before the Bank could do any business for the day.

Additional Superintendent of police D S Rudra said the dacoits, probably, were from neighbouring Jharkhand or Bihar as they were exchanging words in hindi.

He said time and again they had advised the Bank to install the close-circuit tvs to record the movement of the people in the premises.

A search operation across the district and its all entry points failed to find any clue about the looters.

UNI