Khurda bank loot: 7 held, 3.5kg gold seized

Sources said, the police have also seized 3.5kg of gold and Rs 2.9 lakh cash from their possession besides five bikes, one mouser and five live bullets.

According to some bank employees, on July 3, four gun-totting masked dacoits had barged into the bank at around 11.30 am and decamped with gold and cash worth over Rs 11 lakh, injuring three bank employees and a local youth.  The bank manager and another employee had suffered bullet injuries in the incident.

The miscreants also hurled bombs to create terror inside the bank. Moreover, the heist took place when a special audit of gold was being conducted to ascertain the purity of gold deposited by customers to avail gold loans.

Though the police had given the robbers a chase, the miscreants had hurled bombs at them and disappeared into the forests leaving behind the bike and some belongings.

The bank officials had then claimed theft of around 800 packets of gold ornaments along with a cash worth Rs 13 lakh.