Masked robbers shot and killed two SBI ATM cash agents in broad daylight, before fleeing with Rs 93 lakhs in Karnataka’s Bidar town on January 16. The agents had arrived at the ATM to refill it when two assailants in cloth masks fired six to eight rounds reportedly—killing one of the agents on the spot. The other succumbed to bullet injuries later in the day.
The attack is reported to have taken place around 10:30 to 11:30 am, at the Shivaji Chowk SBI ATM in Bidar. The murdered agents have been identified as Giri Venkatash, who died at the ATM, and Shivakumar. Further, the attackers are reported to have fled to Telangana where they, again, dodged arrest after firing two rounds at the ticket manager of a private travel agency and injuring him in Hyderabad’s Afzalgunj area.
Viral video footage from bystanders in Bidar show two men wearing dark clothes and cloth masks attempting to load a large trunk onto a motorbike. The men are also carrying several smaller bags. The prone body of one of the agents can be seen on the road, near the bank’s armoured cash vehicle. The robbers then lift the trunk onto the front of the bike before fleeing the scene together. According to TNIE, at the time of the attack, one of the agents had attempted to resist. The robbers reportedly threw chilli powder at the agents before opening fire. The driver of the armoured vehicle is said to have escaped unscathed.
According to reports, the robbers boarded a minibus to Raipur in Chhattisgarh from Hyderabad after escaping from Karnataka. They arrived at the agency—Roshan Travels–at 3 pm and the minibus was scheduled to leave at 7 pm. The agency’s manager, identified as Jahanghir, reportedly grew suspicious of the two men and asked them to open their bags. When the robbers tried to hand over a bundle of cash to silence him, Jahanghir refused. At this point, one of the robbers pulled out a gun and shot at him, reports further say. Jahanghir is reportedly undergoing treatment for bullet injuries in his stomach and leg at Esra Hospital.
Incidentally, two policemen were also on the bus on the way to Raipur for an unrelated investigation. Both robbers, however, narrowly escaped arrest and were seen fleeing towards Osmania Hospital, IANS says.