PULWAMA: Four robbers equipped with sophisticated weapons struck J&K Bank Rohmu branch in broad daylight Monday and made off with nearly 3 lakh rupees.
Panic gripped Rohmu hamlet of South Kashmirs Rajpora area when gun wielding men robbed local branch of the J&K Bank and resorted to indiscriminate aerial firing before fleeing from the spot.
Police sources said that at least four persons armed with AK-47 rifles appeared in front of Rohmu Branch of the bank and dragged the security guard present at the gate inside the bank premises.
The gunmen, according to police sources, after directing all the bank employees and customers to assemble at one place marched towards cash counter.
We all were so scared to see the gun wielding persons. They threatened everybody of dire consequence in case anyone of us moved or tried to raise an alarm, one of the bank employees said without revealing his name.
He said that, these robbers were in hurry and they collected all the cash whatever they found in the bank and fled from the scene, he said.
People present outside the bank were unaware about this development and they ran for their lives when gunmen suddenly resorted to aerial firing after coming out from the branch.
An eyewitness Ishtiyaq Ahmed said that gunmen intercepted a Tata Mobile and boarded it. A police official confirmed that after looting the cash gunmen boarded a Tata Mobile (JK02AH- 6851) but abandoned it at a deserted place.
We recovered that vehicle and after checking all records of the bank, it was found that gunmen were able to loot Rs 2 lakh 80 thousand and four hundred thirty (2,80,430). We have registered a case vide FIR number 108/2013 under section 392, 7/27 Arms Act and investigation has been taken up, a police official said.
Eyewitnesses said that soon after the incident, army personnel from 53 and 55 RR, SOG Pulwama and 183 battalion CRPF cordoned off the area sealed all the roads leading towards Pulwama.
The cordon was lifted during evening after the recovery of Tata Mobile Van.
A police official said that there is every possibility of involvement of militants in the robbery. They were not masked and openly they entered the bank and looted the cash, he said.
Zonal Officer JK Bank Pulwama, Syed Aashiq Hussain told CNS that a five member committee has been constituted to probe the matter. We would collect all the details in this regard and hopefully the report would be submitted by tomorrow, he said.
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