Rs 40 lakh from bank in Odisha

Armed men looted an estimated Rs 40 lakh in cash from a bank in Odisha's Balasore district on Thursday, police said.

Six motorbike-borne men, armed with pistols and sharp weapons, barged into a nationalised bank branch at Srirampur under Basta police station limits and decamped with cash from the strong room and the counter, Deputy Superintendent of Police Umesh Chandra Panda said.

The accused are suspected to have fled towards West Bengal, the DSP said.

While the exact amount looted is yet to be ascertained, bank officials put the estimate at Rs 40 lakh.

An investigation into the incident has been launched.

Statements of the bank staff are being recorded and CCTV footage examined, the DSP said.