Three persons allegedly looted Rs 19 lakh from Uttarbanga Kshetriya Gramin Bank at Nigamnagar of Dinhata subdivision, some 30km from Cooch Behar town on Tuesday.

Police sources said according to bank manager Arijit Bhowmik and cashier Atarul Rahman, the three criminals entered the premises around 10.55am on Tuesday.

“The employees claim they were in the process of bringing cash from the locker room to the cash counter for the daily transaction when the trio entered,” said a police source.

According to bank employees, they were entering the locker room to get the second tranche of cash when the three criminals pushed them and locked them inside the locker room. Then, they fled the spot with around Rs 19 lakh. After barely five minutes, a bank staffer, Chandra Shekar Barma, reportedly opened the locker room to let them out.

Police, however, are exploring all angles.

“Surprisingly there was no hue and cry or any alarm raised by any staff during and after the incident. Even local residents did not hear anything. They came to know about it only after police arrived,” said the police source.

“We have started an investigation and are looking into all aspects thoroughly,” Cooch Behar SP Sumit Kumar said.