A gang of armed robbers looted valuables worth an estimated Rs 10 crore to Rs 12 crore from the Sahakari Sangh Bank in Kotekar, Mangaluru on Friday, police said.
The heist occurred between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm, with the assailants fleeing in a blue Fiat car, police added.
According to police, a group of five to six masked men, aged between 25 and 35, entered the bank armed with a pistol, a sword, and a knife.
Speaking in Hindi, they allegedly threatened the staff and forced them to open the vault containing gold jewellery and other valuables. At the time of the incident, four to five employees were present in the bank, police said.
Preliminary estimates suggest the stolen items are valued between Rs 10 crore and Rs 12 crore, though a detailed assessment is yet to be completed, the police said.
The police have launched a probe, forming multiple teams to track down the suspects using technical surveillance and other available leads.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was in the city at the time, was informed about the robbery and held a meeting with top police officials, including Inspector General of the Western Range Amit Singh, Commissioner of Police Mangaluru City Anupam Agarwal, and Superintendent of Police N Yathish. Speaker U T Khader was also present at the meeting.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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