Bank robbed by armed men in Manipur's Churachandpur

PTI, Imphal, May 2, 2024 : A bank was robbed in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Thursday, officials said.

The incident happened at SBI’s Salbung branch in the Tuibong area around 2 pm, they said.

Preliminary information suggests that around Rs 20 lakh in cash was robbed by four armed men, who are yet to be identified, they added.

An investigation was underway, officials said.

Following the robbery, the armed men who were wearing masks and helmets fled towards Kangvai, eyewitnesses told the police.

A search was underway to arrest the perpetrators, officials said.

Another bank looted in CCpur

Chronicle News Service, CCpur, May 02 2024: The State Bank of India (SBI) branch located in K Salbung, Churachandpur district, became the latest target in a string of bank robberies plaguing the hill areas of the state since the onset of the crisis on May 3 last year.

According to reports, a group of 4 or 5 armed individuals with faces concealed with masks and helmets, stormed into the SBI K Sal-bung branch on Thursday around 1.30 pm.

Brandishing small firearms, the assailants held both bank officials and customers at gunpoint as they ransacked the branch.

The intruders also fired shots both inside and outside the bank, before seizing approximately Rs 15 lakh in cash from the cash counter no 2 of the bank as well as the customers, who were inside the bank at the time of the heist.

The branch manager has lodged a complaint at Churachandpur police station, detailing the events.

Witnesses recounted the chaos and fear that ensued as the armed robbers made their way through the bank, rifling through drawers and demanding cash from both staff and customers.

In a show of violence, shots were fired towards the branch manager's cabin, heightening tensions and leaving the customers in fear.

The robbers also proceeded to threaten employees at gunpoint, vandalising strategically placed CCTV cameras and damaging certain machines within the premises.

Eyewitnesses and law enforcement sources confirmed that the perpetrators swiftly fled the scene, escaping towards Kangvai road in Churachandpur district.

In response, a rapid and extensive manhunt was launched by police and central forces to apprehend the culprits and recover the stolen funds.

In the aftermath of the robbery, authorities discovered a live round left on the desk of cash counter no 3, which was promptly handed over to the police for further investigation.

This latest incident adds to a grim tally of bank robberies that have plagued the hill areas of the state since the crisis erupted last year.

On May 16 last year, armed miscreants looted Rs 11.7 lakh from the Manipur State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) branch in Churachandpur.

On July 10 last year, gunmen robbed Rs 3 crore from the Axis Bank branch in Churachandpur.

Just four days later, on July 14, armed assailants targeted the MSCB branch in Kangpokpi, looting cash and equipment worth nearly Rs 1 crore.

November 23 last year, witnessed a brazen heist at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Ukhrul, where gunmen decamped with nearly Rs 19 crore.

Mention may be made that all the Meetei residents of Churachandpur district have fled the district after armed Kuki mob targeted their properties and lives on May 3 last year.

In the aftermath, almost all of the standing properties in the Meetei localities have been flattened to the ground using bulldozers.

Even a Kuki youth was killed while trying to demolish a multi-storeyed building owned by a Meetei resident of Churachandpur.