By Neeraj Kumar
Patna, June 15: Four masked criminals carried out a daring robbery at Axis Bank in Devkuli, just a few kilometers from Bihta police station in Patna, Bihar. The armed robbers looted approximately ₹19.5 lakh, including ₹17.5 lakh from the bank’s vaults, ₹41,000 from customer Ganesh Chaudhary, and ₹1.45 lakh from a microfinance company employee. Following the robbery, Patna West City SP and DSP arrived at the scene to investigate.
The incident occurred around 11:41 AM when the four masked men entered the bank, pretending to be customers asking for deposit forms. They then brandished weapons, locking the bank employees and customers in a room. The robbers forced bank manager Nazir Ahmed to hand over the keys to the bank locker before fleeing with the money.
Police have launched an investigation and are reviewing CCTV footage from the bank to gather clues. According to bank employees, the robbers pointed guns at the staff and looted the safe, while two others targeted customers. They stole about ₹2 lakh from the customers at gunpoint.
Ganesh Chaudhary, a customer, recounted, “I had gone to deposit ₹41,000 when the robbers entered and asked for deposit forms. One of them threatened me with a weapon and demanded the money. The criminals then locked everyone in a room and confiscated our mobile phones.”
Police have cordoned off the area in an effort to apprehend the robbers. The investigation is ongoing, and the exact amount stolen is being verified. City SP Patna West, Abhinav Dhiman, stated that CCTV footage is being examined to identify the culprits. The bank manager reported that ₹17.5 lakh was taken from the vault.
Notably, on June 3, masked criminals similarly looted ₹14 lakh from a bank in Gokhulpur village within the Bihta police station area. The police have yet to solve that case, and this recent robbery further challenges their efforts to curb such crimes.
The author is a Patna based journalist
