Thrissur, Feb 14 (IANS): In a broad daylight bank heist, a man armed with a knife stormed into the Federal Bank branch at Pota, near Chalakudy, Thrissur, around 2:15 p.m. on Friday and made off with approximately Rs 15 lakh after threatening the bank staff.

According to eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage, the suspect arrived on a two-wheeler, wearing a helmet, a jacket, and carrying a shoulder bag. He parked in front of the bank before entering the premises.

Once inside, he brandished a knife at the staff, forcing them into a cabin before proceeding to break the glass panes of the cash counter using a chair. He then took the cash stored in the counter’s cash box and fled the scene.

A shopkeeper near the bank stated that the incident took place around 2 p.m, but the robbery only came to light when bank employees managed to raise an alarm.

Another witness noted that the bank had eight staff members, but some had stepped out for lunch at the time of the attack, leaving only a few employees inside.

Reacting to the incident, local Congress legislator Sanish Kumar Joseph criticized the police, calling their approach to law and order lax.

"I have been informed that the staff was threatened with a knife and locked in a cabin. The fact that a man could carry out such an act in broad daylight shows how vulnerable our security system is," Joseph said.

Senior police officials have since arrived at the scene, and an alert has been issued to all nearby police stations in an attempt to track down the suspect. A manhunt is currently underway.

Police officials are also interrogating bank staff and reviewing CCTV footage to gather more details about the incident.