Patna, May 28 (IANS): A day after a massive bank robbery in Bihar's Araria, action was taken on Saturday against local police officials.

Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Singh on Saturday suspended SHO, Town, Kumar Abhinav.

A gang of four to five armed robbers looted a branch of Bank of India located at Bank Road at around 10 a.m. on Friday and fled with Rs 37.5 lakh cash and jewellery worth Rs 87.5 lakh from the lockers.

The armed robbers burst into the bank and held the officials and customers hostage at gunpoint. They took the cash from the cash box and also taken the key of the chest and lockers from bank officials.

They snatched the rifle of the security guard and also snatched mobile phones of customers and officials, who were then locked inside the washroom.

Bank manager Akhilesh Kumar claimed that the robbers have taken away jewellery from 20 lockers apart from cash from the cash box.

"We have suspended the SHO of the town police station due to his negligence in duty. The suspension was done in the direction of the IGP, Purnea range IGP," the SP said.

"We have sealed the district borders and also alerted Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) officials deployed on the Indo-Nepal border. Efforts are on to nab the robbers," he added.