A brazen robbery unfolded in Karnataka as three masked individuals, clad in military uniforms, raided the State Bank of India branch in Chadachan town. The assailants made off with an estimated Rs 20 crore in gold and Rs 1 crore in cash. According to reports, the armed gang entered the bank on Tuesday evening, brandishing weapons and firearms. They subsequently took the staff hostage. The bank manager and other employees were reportedly tied up and locked in a washroom. Customers present during the robbery were also restrained, their hands and feet bound with plastic bags. The robbers, initially claiming to want to open a current account, demanded the cash vault be opened, threatening the branch manager. Following the heist, the perpetrators fled the scene in a Suzuki EVA vehicle equipped with a counterfeit number plate, heading towards Pandharpur, Maharashtra. Police are actively investigating the incident, with Vijayapura SP Laxman Nimbargi leading the investigation.
