Masked men loot over Rs 18 crore from PSU bank in Manipur

Imphal: Armed dacoits with faces covered by masks looted Rs 18.80 crore in cash from a branch of a public sector bank in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, officials said on Friday.

This Punjab National Bank branch is the currency chest - a place where the Reserve Bank of India stocks cash meant for banks and ATMs - for Ukhrul district.

The robbers carrying sophisticated weapons reached the bank in Ukhrul town, around 80 km from the state capital Imphal, overpowered the security personnel and looted the amount from the vault after threatening the staff on Thursday evening.

The miscreants, some of whom were in camouflage uniform, locked up the employees and the security personnel inside the washroom of the bank, officials said.

One of the senior staff was made to open the vault at gunpoint, following which the robbers looted the money.

A complaint has been lodged at Ukhrul police station. The police started examining CCTV footage to identify the culprits.