Close on the heels of a bank robbery at Bhojpur near Kuchinda under Sambalpur district on May 28, another heist took place on Wednesday at Balam-based Utkal Gramya Bank (UGB) in Deogarh district.
As per information, three persons barged into the bank at Balam at about 11. 30 am and terrorized the staff and the customers at gun point. Then they looted cash worth Rs 6.28 lakh from the manager and the cashier. They overpowered the staff and took away the entire cash from the counter and the strong room before fleeing the spot in bikes.
The miscreants also took away the cell phones of the bank staff and the customers. They were speaking in Odia. While one of them had covered his face, two others were in normal dress, sources said further.
Villagers near the Utuniamunda forest closed the roads to obstruct the looters from fleeing by keeping bullock carts on it. Finding no way out to escape, the dacoits ran into the Utuniamunda forest. The villagers also chased them to a certain distance, but when the dacoits opened fire at them, they turned back.
Meanwhile, the police have sealed all exit points of the district. Massive patrolling and vehicle checking are on to nab the culprits, informed SP Dr Satyajit Nayak. "We expect that the dacoits are still inside the forest and we are hopeful of apprehending them," Dr Nayak said further.
It may be mentioned that the modus operandi of the Balam UGB bank loot is almost the same like that of Bhojpur in Kuchinda. The police are also investigating in the Kuchinda case.