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Giridih: Five armed criminals carried out a daylight robbery at a UCO Bank branch in Jharkhand’s Giridih district on Thursday afternoon, looting gold jewellery worth an estimated 3 crore to 4 crore rupees alongside 10 lakh to 12 lakh rupees in cash. The armed gang struck the commercial branch situated near the Leather Warehouse in the busy Dhanwar market area, barely 200 metres from the local Dhanwar police station. The swiftness and scale of the heist, executed inside a crowded trading hub in broad daylight, left traders, bank clients, and nearby shopkeepers in acute panic.
Hostages Held at Gunpoint as Customer Resists Looting
According to branch officials, the armed men walked into the premises at around 12:44 pm while routine transactions were underway. Posing initially as visitors, all five suspects suddenly produced firearms and assumed command of the main hall, holding staff members and visitors hostage. One assailant pointed a pistol directly at the temple of the branch manager, ordering everyone present to refrain from raising an alarm or reaching for internal emergency lines. Simultaneously, other armed accomplices moved across counters to herd personnel and account holders into a corner. When a local resident, identified as Mohammad Mehtab, resisted handing over 20,000 rupees he had brought for deposit, the robbers assaulted him on the floor.
Locker Cleaned Out in Twenty Minutes Before Gang Locks Entrance
Operating with coordinated precision, the criminals completed the entire heist within twenty minutes. The gang forced access to the branch safe and lockers, seizing customer jewellery packages and sweeping up cash balances sitting across operational counters. The stolen valuables and currency notes were stuffed into sacks and carrying bags before the gang initiated their retreat. To ensure an uninterrupted escape, the perpetrators pushed the terrified employees and clients into an enclosed space and affixed a heavy padlock on the external channel gate from the outside. The trapped occupants yelled for help and hammered repeatedly against the iron grill until neighbouring shopkeepers and pedestrians rushed over, broke open the exterior lock, and freed them.
Police Launch Intensive Vehicle Checks Across District Borders
Upon receiving the alert, Dhanwar police station in charge Brajesh Kumar arrived at the spot with a local team, followed shortly by Khori Mahua Sub-Divisional Police Officer Amarendra Kumar. Senior investigators immediately cordoned off the branch, recorded statements from the manager and eyewitnesses, and reconstructed the timeline of the operation. Forensic teams and technical investigators began reviewing recorded footage from security cameras inside the banking hall, as well as units positioned along nearby roads and market crossings, in order to trace the visual identity of the culprits and their flight route. Concurrently, district police set up fortified checkpoints along primary exit corridors and inter-district border routes to inspect passing vehicles. The brazen occurrence of a multi-crore daylight heist within walking distance of a local police station has brought significant scrutiny onto regional patrolling arrangements.
