A gang of criminals broke open the rear gate of an unguarded nationalised bank in Purulia’s Hura, barely 500 metres from the local police station, on Saturday night but had to flee after the alarm bell attached to the vault suddenly rang out when the robbers were trying to disconnect it.

As the alarm rang out around 9.30pm, local people came rushing to the spot and also called up the police.

Local people and some customers waiting outside the ATM adjacent to the bank said they saw the criminals escaping in a SUV towards Purulia town.

Police arrived at the spot and found the rear door of the SBI bank broken and two large empty bags possibly abandoned by the robbers inside the bank. Police said the robbers tried to open the vault room after disconnecting the alarm but it suddenly rang and the goons fled.

“The bags the criminals might have brought with them to carry the cash were left behind in the hurry,” said a police officer.

Police as of now found the presence of three persons in covered faces at the bank from the CCTV footage. Police said three to four persons had entered the bank while others of the gang stood guard outside.

This bank robbery bid happened at a time Purulia police are under pressure following a branded jewellery shop heist in the town last week in which the robbers decamped with gold and diamond ornaments worth over Rs 8 crore. The police are yet to make any breakthrough in that case.

Local people and some traders in Hura demonstrated after police arrived alleging negligence in vigilance. “Only four days ago robbers looted a jewellery shop in Purulia town and now the goons tried to rob the bank located near a police station. Where is our security? We are scared,” said Nripen Kar, owner of a fuel station in Hura.

Another resident, Basudeb Mondal, said if the alarm did not ring, the criminals would have easily robbed the bank.

Police said all neighbouring police stations had been alerted.

“We are not sure if the same gang is involved in the jewellery shop heist and the bank robbery bid. Searches and investigation are on. Police arrived promptly after the alarm rang,” said a senior police officer in Purulia.

Police have drawn sketches of the robbers involved in the jewellery shop heist from the CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts.

“We are matching the sketches with CCTV footage collected from the bank. However we are sure that it was a Bihar-based interstate gang,” said the police officer.