Manipur Bank Heist: Who are these miscreants? Armed robbers or militants?

In the midst of the ethnic violence that has rocked Manipur for more than eight months now throwing normal life out of gear, yet another sensational crime has taken place in the state causing serious concern among the people whether the situation in the state will further worsen in coming days.

In the biggest-ever bank robbery in Manipur’s history, a group of 8-10 masked men carrying sophisticated weapons, dressed in camouflage stormed into the Punjab National Bank (PNB) Ukhrul branch and looted Rs 18.85 crore at gunpoint on Thursday evening. The incident happened at around 5.40 PM.

The fact that miscreants stormed into the bank located in the busy locality of Viewland, and at a time when shops were still open, and there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the area and decamped with the booty in just 10 minutes have raised a lot of questions such as — Who are these armed men? Do they belong to any militant outfit or are they part of an armed gang operating in Ukhrul? What made them carry out such a daring bank robbery? Where did they get the weapons from?
The incident has also raised questions about the security situation in the state.

When and how they entered the Bank?

It was around 5.40 PM and the main shutter of the bank was already closed. The armed gunmen forced the security personnel guarding the main gate of the Bank out of their way and entered the bank through the side entrance of the bank which is used by the staff.

Were they armed robbers or militants?

The CCTV footage that has gone viral on social media, shows that all of them were carrying assault rifles. Are they militants? If not, then why are these miscreants carrying assault rifles. If they are not associated with any militant outfit or part of an armed gang that operates in Ukhrul and the surrounding area, where did they get the weapons from? Do robbers in Manipur carry assault rifles? If so, where did they get these arms from? These are a few big questions which will only become clear after further investigations.

What is Manipur Police saying?

It’s been more than 20 hours since the robbery took place, but the State Police have not yet been able to make any breakthrough in the case.

Speaking exclusively to Northeast Live, a senior Police officer said that nothing can be ruled out at this point of time whether these miscreants are militants or robbers.

Meanwhile, a top Army official told Northeast Live that anything is possible. He said that currently, arms and ammunition looted by people during the violence in the state are floating around. A large number of the arms were looted during the violence, but State Police could recover just a few of them.

What does this loot say about Manipur’s security system?

As per inputs, as many as 8 personnel of the 6th Manipur Rifles were guarding the Bank. If security personnel were guarding the Bank, how did the gang of robbers rob the bank in front of these Manipur Rifles personnel? Have they been suspended? Are new contingents stationed there? These questions will be answered only after Chief Minister N Biren Singh or his security adviser responds.

How does this big robbery affect Ukhrul?

Ukhrul is a very small town. There are not many bank branches that are available. In the circumstance that a bank was looted of Rs 18 crore, there may potentially be complete operational destruction. This would undoubtedly raise concerns and incite fear among the public, bankers, associates, and workers.

Are instances of bank robbery common in Manipur?

It may be mentioned here that the Axis Bank branch located at Teddim Road and Thangzam Road’s junction of Churachadpur town was robbed of Rs one crore during the violence that started on May 3. The robbery was discovered after the bank branch opened in July.

All these instances raise serious questions about the law and order situation in the state.

Also Read : UNLF peace pact: Manipur CM N Biren thanks PM Modi, HM Shah

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