After breaking into the bank branches at Rohmu and Aarihal areas, unidentified armed men on Thursday looted Jammu Kashmir Bank’s branch at Ratnipora village of the South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.This was the third such bank robbery incident in the district. Earlier police had claimed that it arrested a group of people involved in such acts; however, the Thursday incident raised questions over the police claim.Pertinently, those arrested by police in a bank robbery incident according to their families are innocent, the claim refuted by police.Station House Officer Pulwama Sajad Ahmed told news agency CNS that at around 12:45 on Thursday afternoon, at least three armed men barged into the Ratnipora Branch of Jammu Kashmir and looted cash worth Rs 9 lakh 86 thousand. “The looted cash contains Rs 16,000 with old denominations.
The looters restricted the movement of the bank employees on gun point and fled from the spot after looting the cash,” he said.He added that a police investigation team that rushed to the spot of incident came under heavy stone-pelting attack when it reached there. “Locals attacked police investigation party with stones. We excersided maximum restraint and didn’t retaliate,” SHO Pulwama said.We have registered an FIR and investigation has been taken up,” he added.Meanwhile, shortly after the incident, Army personnel from 50 Rashtriya Rifles, Police and CRPF cordoned off Ratnipora village to flush out the unidentified gunmen, however, witnesses said that no arrests were made. (CNS)