Ranchi, Nov. 23: Three men on a two-wheeler allegedly snatched Rs 22,000 from a Jharkhand Gramin Bank employee in Kudu area of Lohardaga while he was on his way to his branch in Kairo from Ranchi this morning.

Cashier P.K. Jha was also on his two-wheeler. He told police that the men who targeted him were wearing masks. However, it is not clear whether the cash he was carrying was in the abolished Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes or in new ones.

According to local sources, it was around 10.15am when the criminals overtook Jha's bike on the outskirts of Jhingi, a non-descript village, in Kudu block of Lohardaga. The spot is around 40km from the district headquarters and 10-12km from Kairo branch of Jharkhand Gramin Bank, a local scribe said.

"The area is full of potholed roads and the spot where the snatching took place was totally deserted," Kudu police station officer-in-charge Sudhir Prasad Sahu told The Telegraph over phone.

He, however, couldn't give specifics, stating that they were yet to register a detailed complaint. "An initial complaint has been registered on the basis on his statements to begin a probe. I will have to visit the bank to find out further details," he said.

Lohardaga SP Kartik S. confirmed receiving information about the snatching in the morning, but a detailed report is yet to reach him as well.

"We will delve into all angles. We first have to ascertain whether the incident is at all true. Then, we have to find out whether it was bank money or the cashier's own money that was snatched or whether he was carrying cash for someone else. I have asked the local thana to probe all these aspects," he added.