A group of armed men allegedly barged into a nationalised bank on the busy Madhusudan Marg here and decamped with around Rs 40 lakh after holding the staff and customers at gunpoint.
The robbery took place this morning, shortly after the Indian Overseas Bank's (IOB) branch opened, J P Sohala, the assistant branch manager, said.
"Three men stormed into the bank and brandished their guns to terrorise the staff and the customers. They were soon joined by four more men, who forced the cashier to open the vault room," he said.
The men filled two black bags with cash before fleeing the spot, cashier Mangaraj Jena said.
"The amount looted was estimated to be around Rs 40 lakh," Jena claimed.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, the branch manager, said the dacoits rounded up the employees before feeling.
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"The robbers also took away the hard disc of the CCTV before leaving the bank," he said, adding that a police complaint has been filed in the case.
Giving details of the investigation process, Rourkela Superintendent of Police Uma Shankar Dash said all exit points have been sealed to prevent the robbers from leaving the area.
"We have are frisking vehicles on the National Highway as part of efforts to nab the dacoits," he added.