On Tuesday evening (16th September 2025) a big robbery took place at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Vijayapura district, Karnataka. A group of masked men, armed with country-made guns and other weapons stormed into the bank in the evening. They were reportedly wearing military uniforms to avoid suspicion. They tied up the bank staff (including the manager and cashier) and threatened them, so no one could press the alarm. After robbing the gold and cash, they escaped in a car. That car was later found in Pandharpur, Maharashtra (across the state border).
Officials are investigating and ajoint search operation is being conducted by both Karnataka and Maharashtra police to catch the robbers.
Recently in the same city (Vijayapura) two major bank robberies have happened. A similar robbery happened in June 2025 at a Canara Bank branch, in whic 59 kg of gold and ₹5.2 lakh cash was stolen. Then the police arrested three people, including: Vijaykumar Miriyal (former Canara Bank manager) who was the main planner. Chandrashekhar Nerella an ex-bank employee, now a contractor and casino operator and Sunil Moka – Miriyal’s assistant.
In both cases, large amounts of gold and cash were stolen. The SBI robbery is the latest, and police are still searching for the robbers.
Also read: Federal Bank Robbery in Kerala: Staff Held Hostage in Daring Cash Heist
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