Major bank robbery in Karnataka, thieves decamp with 59 kg gold worth 53 crore

BENGALURU: Thieves decamped with 59 kg of gold jewelry worth Rs 53 crore from the Canara Bank in Karnataka. The theft was from the Mangoli branch of Canara Bank in Vijayapura. The incident is reported to have happened on May 23. This is one of the biggest bank robberies in the country.

Three people stole the gold from the locker of the bank. The theft was committed on May 23 but the employees knew about it on May 26. The robbery took place between 6 pm on May 23 and 11.30 am on the 26th, said Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi. Eight teams have been formed to nab the accused. He also said that around eight people are suspected to be involved in the robbery.

Vijayapura police said that the robbery was very well planned. The thieves were waiting for second Saturday and Sunday to come together. The thieves, who entered the bank using a fake key, disabled the alarm and CCTV cameras. They also stole the network video recorder. They only targeted the bank lockers. The thieves also left a black doll after the robbery. This is an indication that some ritual was performed, the police said.

Major bank lorries have reported in Karnataka earlier also. Gold worth Rs 13 crore was looted from an SBI branch in Nyamathi town in Devanagari district in last October. Six people were later arrested in the incident. In January, gold worth Rs 12 crore was also stolen from the Vyasa Seva Sahakari Sangha Bank in Mangaluru. Six people were also arrested in the case.