In a major bank heist, 48 kg of gold jewellery worth several crores of rupees was stolen from the safe vault of a Bank of Baroda branch near here, police said today.
The theft occurred at the Bank of Baroda's Ramapuram Kundarapalli branch here.
Police said the robbers accessed the vault by breaking open the rear door of the bank.
"Forty-eight kg and 308 gm of gold was looted by the robbers, who broke open one of the three lockers with gas- based welding equipment. The theft could have happened late last night or early this morning," Guruparapalli Police Inspector J Rajendran told PTI.
"The other lockers, cash and other valuables are safe. We have posted guards here," he said, adding that the looted jewellery was estimated to be worth several crores of rupees.
Top police officials visited the spot. Ten separate teams have been formed to nab the culprits.
Investigators are also scanning the CCTV camera footage of the bank to zero-in on them.
Among the footage was that of lean young man seen moving inside the bank with his face covered below his eyes with a handkerchief, District police sources said.
The bank caters to the needs of dozens of villages in Kundarapalli area and is popular among the local people.
Several farmers who had pledged their jewellery to avail loans expressed apprehension about the fate of their valuables.
