Bhubaneswar, Dec. 31: Four masked goons today allegedly opened fire at Odisha Gramya Bank, Darpanarayanpur branch, in Nayagarh district, 84km from here, and decamped with 688 packets of gold worth around Rs 5 crore. They also looted Rs 12,800 in cash.

The incident took place around 4pm when the four robbers, brandishing pistols, entered the bank and asked the branch manager to open the vault where the gold had been kept. When the manager resisted, they fired two rounds in the air and hit him with the butt of their pistols.

They eventually decamped with the gold packets. The market value of the gold ornaments would be around Rs 5 crore. Bank officials said they had extended loans against the gold pawned by customers.

Branch manager Biswanath Sahu suffered minor injuries. “Only two persons, including Sahu, were present in the bank when the incident took place. They took away the gold packets at gun point,” said the cashier of the bank, Bijay Kumar Das.

Police said the robbers knew that the market, where the bank is located, was closed today. “We have obtained the CCTV footage and have started an investigation into the incident. We are also verifying the exact number of gold packets stolen,” said Nayagarh superintendent of police Bhagyadhar Behera.

Though the police have obtained the CCTV footage, it will be difficult to identify the goons because all of them had covered their faces with masks.