Around 15 armed robbers struck at a bank at Karimpur in Nadia district close to Indo-Bangla border late Thursday night and slit the throat of four employees and seriously injured a fifth one. No cash was looted, the police said.

Though initial suspicion turned to Maoists, who are known to use such methods, the police said there is no evidence so far to establish their involvement.

A state CID team rushed to the spot early this morning to take up the investigation but no arrests were made till late evening.

A senior police officer said as per the statement of Amit Mullick, the deputy manager of the bank who was injured in the robbery, armed miscreants barged into the bank around 11 pm and killed four of its employees by slitting their throats. Mullick told the police the miscreants asked them to hand over the keys to the vault. When they refused, the robbers started killing the bank employees one after another, said the officer.

When the group raided the United Bank of India, it was reportedly open but its collapsible gate was locked from inside.

Among the four dead are two bank employees, a sweeper and a generator operator.

The police said they are still to find out why the bank remained open till 11 pm without the local police station being informed. “We have asked the bank authorities to submit a report about their security system and why the bank remained open till late night without informing the local police station,” said a senior police officer.

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