Hyderabad, Jan 24 (IANS): Robbers opened fire to snatch over Rs 2 lakh from employees of a wine shop on the outskirts of Hyderabad, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Monday night at Uddamarri under Shamirpet police station in Medchal Malkajgiri district.

Three masked men attacked the cashier and other employees when they were leaving with cash after closing the shop.

According to police, the robbers attacked the wine shop employees with sticks and tried to snatch the cash. When the victims resisted, one of the robbers opened two rounds of fire.

A bullet hit the wine shop shutter while the second bullet was fired in the air. The offenders escaped after snatching Rs 2.08 lakh in cash from the employees.

On receipt of information, police rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. One of the victims Balakrishna said the masked men attacked them when they were about to start their two-wheelers. He said they were speaking Hindi.

Police suspect involvement of an inter-state gang and constituted five teams to apprehend them. The gang apparently selected the target near the Outer Ring Road (ORR) for an easy escape.