Nabha, February 1
Three armed men shot a bank guard and took away Rs 36 lakh from a State Bank of Patiala cash van today. A bank cashier was injured in the attack. The robbers fled the scene on a motorcycle. The police have started investigations after registering a case.

The deceased has been identified as Randhir Singh. Anurag Tiwari was injured in the attack.

The police said the armed men opened fire at the bank staff putting cash in an ATM located at the busy Alohran Gate Market around 1.05 pm.

“The three men wearing turbans asked the staff to hand over the cash. When the guard resisted, one of them opened fire, killing him on the spot and injuring the cashier,” a police officer said.

Another guard on duty said he tried diverting the robbers’ attention by scattering the cash. But he was held off at gunpoint by one of the men as the others collected the cash.

“One of the youths fired four bullets at Randhir Singh,” the guard told the police.

“The robbers remained composed the entire time. It took them around 10 minutes to gather the cash and leave,” he said.

Nearby shopkeepers told The Tribune that the men had not covered their faces. “As the guard and the cashier lay on the ground, a shopkeeper attacked the accused with bricks. The three escaped with the cash on a motorcycle,” a shopkeeper said.

Sources in the police department said the investigating team had procured the CCTV footage from a nearby shop and got vital leads, including the registration number of the motorcycle used in the crime.

Sources said the local police were late to arrive at the scene.