News

Burqa clad gunmen loot bank in Arwani in South Kashmir

Srinagar: Suspected militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen reportedly barged into Jammu & Kashmir Bank branch Arwani in the jurisdiction of Police Station Bijbehara, Anantnag on Monday in the afternoon and looted about Rs 5.20 lacs, a police statement said.

Anantnag police has registered a case and investigation was set into motion.

During the initial investigation and with the help of CCTV footage, it was found that HM militants are allegedly involved in this crime. Efforts are on to nab those involved.

Similar incidents have been a norm in Jammu and Kashmir where unknown gunmen have barged into banks and looted money.

May 3, 2017: Two banks were attacked within hours by unidentified gunmen. The first incident took place in an Ellaquai Dehati Bank branch in Waibug. Four men stormed the branch office and looted ₹3-4 lakh, as reported by a wire news agency PTI. The bank did not have any CCTV surveillance cameras or any other recording devices to record the act.

A few hours later, a Jammu and Kashmir Bank branch was attacked in Nehama by gunmen.

May 2, 2017: Gunmen attack a branch of Ellaquai Dehati Bank on Tuesday in Kulgam district. The loot was at least ₹65,000.

May 1, 2017: Four-five gunmen attacked a van of Jammu and Kashmir Bank. In the attack, gunmen killed five policemen and two security guards of the bank. According to police, gunmen clad in combat fatigues intercepted the van near Kulgam but their robbery bid was foiled. The van was returning after dropping of ₹18 lakh at the branch in Manzgam Ahrabal.

The Kashmir-based militant group Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the robbery.

December 15, 2016: Alleged armed militants identified by the police as belonging to terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) attacked a branch of J&K Bank in Pulwama’s Ratnipora area. The group robbed around ₹10 lakh.
Prior to the May 2 attack, six more banks had been robbed in south and central Kashmir in recent months. Some attempts were foiled by bank employees and security officials. A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was also captured by CRPF troopers last Saturday when some gunmen attempted to snatch the rifles of jawans posted at a J&K Bank branch in Anantnag.

Click to comment
To Top