Srinagar, Dec 15 (KNS): In yet another bank robbery, gunmen looted Rs 9.84 lakhs from a J&K Bank branch at Ratnipora village in restive Pulwama district of south Kashmir.
“The looted among includes sixteen thousand notes of old currency and the rest was new currency,” said a top police official.
He said four gunmen entered the Ratnipora branch of the J&K Bank and decamped with the money.
Last Thursday, unidentified gunmen targeted a branch of the J&K Bank branch at Arihal in the same district and looted Rs 13.38 lakh. This is the fourth bank robbery in the valley in the last five months.
Meanwhile, SP Pulwama Rayees Muhammad Bhat held a press conference later in the evening and said that Rs 9.84 lakhs have been looted from the Ratnipora bank.
“We have seen the CCTV footage from the bank and have been able to identify two dacoits. As we had earlier said about Chrar Sharief bank branch, we showed the pictures of those to the officials. So we have been able to identify them as one Abu Ali and another Abu Ismail (both foreign militants) and one local militant namely Arif Dar of Lelhar. In CCTV footage it’s absolutely clear that the hand of LeT is behind this,” he said.
He said two militants Arif Dar and Abu Ali entered into the bank and the two others stayed out like scouts guarding their colleagues inside the bank.
“We have told the Bank officials there is a list of banks which have been listed as very sensitive,” he said.
Bhat said the stone pelting near the bank site diverted their attention when the search operation was launched to hunt the militants
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