Caught on Camera: Armed robbers loot Rs 18.85 Crore from PNB in Manipur’s Ukhrul
Ten armed robbers stormed a branch of the Punjab National Bank in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, held the staff at gunpoint and left with Rs 18.85 crore.
Manipur violence: Armed gunmen on Thursday stormed a branch of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Manipur’s Ukhrul district and made off with Rs 18.85 crore in cash. The brazen robbery was captured on the bank’s CCTV cameras and showed at least ten unidentified assailants, armed with rifles and pistols, harassing bank staff and herding them into a side room.
The footage of the robbery, which has gone viral on social media platforms, shows the armed robbers – some with faces covered with bandanas – forcibly driving the bank staff into a room at gunpoint.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:
Manipur’s Biggest Cash Heist! Masked and armed, a gang loots more than ₹18 crore from the Punjab National Bank, Ukhrul. pic.twitter.com/Ah6oT7GA74
— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) December 1, 2023
Some armed assailants are seen dragging away large gunny bags believed to contain cash even as their accomplices stand guard at the entrance of the bank, while others push the staff and lock them in a back room of the bank.
Giving details, a senior police official said the robbery took place on Thursday evening when the bank manager and staff had completed the day’s transaction and deposit activities but were still inside the premises with the main gate shutter closed.
Suddenly, ten armed assailants – dressed in khaki pants, combat fatigues and tracksuits – stormed the premises through a staff-only entrance, overpowering a security staff on duty near the Strong Room. The robbers then laid siege to the bank, detained the manager, staff and manager and looted Rs Rs 18.85 from the bank before escaping.
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.
Speaking to reporters, M. Kumuni, the branch manager, revealed that eight security personnel were stationed on 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 erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 this year.
The Manipur violence
More than 200 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic conflict erupted in Manipur on May 3 this year after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for the status of Scheduled Tribe.
Meiteis represent about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and live mainly in the Imphal Valley. The tribes – Nagas and Kukis – constitute just over 40 percent and live in the hill districts.