BERHAMPUR: Several customers of the
Odisha Gramya Bank (OGB)'s
Sarangadhara branch in
Nayagarh district, which was looted on Friday, staged a demonstration in front of the branch seeking the return of their mortgaged gold. The looters allegedly took away mortgaged gold belonging to around 250 people, weighing over 5.750 kg and worth around Rs 1.56 crore.
The demonstrators, including several women, went back after police pacified them. "The customers will not be victimized in any way as their mortgages have been insured," said a police officer.
At least five motorcycle-borne miscreants decamped with 256 gold packets and Rs 80,000 in cash from the bank by holding the staff at gunpoint. There was no customer in the bank during the 15-minute operation that began at 1 pm. Before escaping, the looters locked the staff inside the bank.
Police have detained at least seven people for questioning. "We will interrogate them," said the inspector in charge of Ranapur police station,
Girija Shankar Rath. No one has been arrested yet. "Almost all police officers in the district are engaged in the search. We are investigating the case from all angles," said SP (Nayagarh) Ashish Kumar Singh.
Police said the bank had not engaged any security guard at the branch and its CCTV was not working.
Representative image
