Guj: Armed men rob bank by holding staff at gunpoint in Bharuch; four held

Ahmedabad: Five armed men robbed a bank by holding the staff hostage at gunpoint and decamped with Rs 44 lakh in Ankleshwar city of Gujarat's Bharuch district, police said on Friday.

The police have managed to apprehend four out of accused for the robbery that took place at a branch of the Union Bank of India on Thursday afternoon, an official said.

While one of the robbers was captured following a chase and shootout by the police on Thursday, the three others were nabbed in the early hours from an industrial area, inspector R H Vala of Ankleshwar city police said.

The police have recovered stolen cash to the tune of Rs 38 lakh from the arrested accused, he said.

In CCTV footage released by the police, five armed men can be seen entering the Union Bank of India branch and threatening the staff by pointing guns at them.

On learning about the robbery from the bank staff, the police rushed to the spot and chased the accused while they were fleeing with Rs 44 lakh in cash, Vala said.

"The accused opened fire at the police team during the chase, and one of the robbers sustained a bullet wound in the crossfire. We recovered Rs 22 lakh from him and he was admitted to a hospital," the official said.

The Bharuch district police formed several teams and initiated a combing operation in an industrial area nearby to nab the remaining accused, Vala said.

"Following a night-long operation, we managed to nab three others with Rs 16 lakh cash. The fifth accused, who has stolen cash to the tune of Rs 6 lakh is still at large," the official said

The police have recovered 4 country-made pistols from the accused, who hail from Bihar, he added. PTI PJT

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