Unidentified miscreants carrying firearms raided a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Patna district and looted ₹21 lakh before fleeing away unchallenged on Monday, in yet another example of poor law and order situation in Bihar.

The incident occurred at the bank branch located under the Dulhin Bazar police station area under the Paliganj subdivision of the district around 10.30am.

“Around three to four miscreants took the bank employees and customers hostage at gunpoint and locked them inside a room. As per the information provided by the branch manager, they looted around ₹21 lakh from the bank. They also took away the digital video recorder of the CCTV cameras with them,” Patna (West) SP Abhinav Dhiman said.

The police have started investigations and are trying to identify the people involved with the help of CCTV cameras installed in the area. Sniffer dogs have also been pitched in to trace the miscreants.

The spiraling crime graph has given ammunition to
the Opposition parties to put chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government on the mat.

Four persons were killed in Katihar district as two motorcycles crashed into each other on Monday, a police officer said, adds PTI.