By Bl Bengaluru Bureau
Copyright thehindubusinessline
For the second time in four months, Vijayapura district in Karnataka has witnessed a major bank robbery. In what appears to be heist reminiscent of a thriller drama, armed men looted cash and gold worth about ₹21 crore from a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Chadchan town of Vijayapura district, Karnataka, on Tuesday evening.
Earlier in June 2025, gold worth over ₹53 crore and cash of ₹5.2 lakh were stolen from a Canara Bank branch in Managuli, also in Vijayapura district.
The SBI theft occurred around 6.30 p.m., when the suspects entered the branch posing as customers wanting to open current accounts. Armed with knives and country-made pistols, they threatened the manager, cashier and other employees before tying up 10 people, six staff members and four customers, with plastic tags.
According to the FIR, the suspects fled with about ₹1.4 crore in cash and nearly 20 kg of gold valued at around ₹20 crore, much of it pledged by customers as collateral for loans.
They also broke open 298 of the 425 lockers in the branch. Bank officials said the exact value of the stolen jewellery was yet to be ascertained due to a technical issue with the branch’s LAN network, as per reports.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects used a Suzuki EVA vehicle with a fake number plate and reportedly headed towards Pandharpur in Maharashtra after the robbery. “We are investigating the case and gathering leads,” said SP Laxman Nimbargi.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published on September 17, 2025
