Armed robber loots Rs 3.76 lakh bank in daylight heist

Surat: In a brazen daylight robbery, an armed man looted ₹3.76 lakh from the Gujarat Gramin Bank's Sachin branch on Tuesday afternoon, after holding two female employees at gunpoint and locking them inside the safe vault room.The accused reportedly took advantage of the absence of a security guard and the fact that only two staff members were present at the time of the incident.According to a police complaint filed by Prachi Patel, the branch cashier, the bank usually operates with four employees—branch manager Ravi Olpadi, assistant manager Yukti Jain, peon Trilochan Behra, and herself. On the day of the incident, Olpadi was on leave and Behra had gone to another branch to deposit cheques, leaving Patel and Jain alone at the branch.At around 12:30 PM, an unidentified man entered the bank and, brandishing a pistol, demanded cash from Patel. Complying with the threat, she handed over Rs 3.76 lakh from the cash drawer. During the incident, a customer entered the bank but attempted to leave after sensing danger. The robber, however, threatened him and forced him to stay.The assailant then demanded access to the safe vault. After Patel showed him the location, he locked Patel, Jain, and the customer inside the vault room and fled the premises.As both employees had left their mobile phones at their desks, Patel used the customer's phone to try reaching the branch manager, who did not respond. She then called the manager of the Dindoli branch, Bijal, but was unsuccessful. Finally, she contacted Rahul Singh, the manager of the Jahangirpura branch, who advised her to inform the HR department.The trio began shouting for help, eventually attracting the attention of a passerby who entered the bank and freed them by opening the vault room door.Patel revealed that she had an emergency alarm device strapped to her leg but refrained from using it out of fear.The Sachin police have registered a case and formed multiple teams to track down the suspect, who is believed to have planned the heist after observing the bank's vulnerable staffing and security situation.