Great Indian bank robberies: A quick look at Indian banks that have been looted in the past

While the robbery may sound like a movie plot, the style of digging their way into a bank's vault, has been used in multiple times before.

Multiple lockers at a Bank of Baroda branch at Juinagar, Navi Mumbai were emptied by a gang of robbers over the weekend. They reportedly dug a deep tunnel to reach the lockers of the branch from a rented shop nearby and stole cash and valuables currently estimated at roughly Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.The robbers allegedly cracked 30 out of the 225 lockers in the branch. The police, who are currently probing the matter, said the theft may have been planned over the last five months.While the robbery may sound like a movie plot, the style of digging their way into a bank's vault, has been used multiple times before.

Here are some of the similar bank robbery incidences:

Manapurram Finance, Ulhasnagar

In December 2016, burglars broke into the vault of Manappuram Finance's Gold Loan branch in Ulhasnagar near Mumbai. They managed to rob around 32 kg of gold jewellery worth more than Rs 9 crore.

Tamil Nadu train robbery

In August 2016, robbers broke open the roof of a railway coach which was being used by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to transport money in Tamil Nadu. The robbers managed to escape with Rs 5.75 crore.

Punjab National Bank, Sonipat

In October 2014, robbers dug a 125-feet long and 2.5 feet wide tunnel, in a bid to rob almost Rs 100 crore from 89 lockers inside Punjab National Bank's Gohana branch in Sonipat, Haryana near Delhi.Interestingly, the police managed to recover only one blade and mounds of sand from the crime scene.

Also read: Robbers get away with valuables from a bank locker room. Their M.O? Digging a tunnel

Chelambra bank robbery, Malappuram

On December 30, 2007, robbers entered the Bank of Kerala branch in Malappuram in Kerala, using a hole they had dug in the floor.The robbers stole 80 kilograms of gold and Rs 50 lakh.

Ludhiana bank robbery, 1987

In 1987, 12 alleged Khalistani militants of the Khalistan Commando Force looted Rs 5.7 crore from a currency chest belonging to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).It was considered the biggest robbery act of the country at that time. The militants were dressed as police personnel and used the cash to buy sophisticated weapons for their organisation.

They were later sentenced to 10 years in jail later.