Bhubaneswar, Nov 10 (PTI) Masked men looted Rs 1.73 crore from an ATM cash van in Odisha's Cuttack district on Friday, police said.

The incident took place at Godijharia News road in the district's Athgarh area, they added.

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According to police, around 10 armed men stopped the cash van using an SUV and motorcycles and looted it.

"We were returning after loading cash in an ATM machine at Godijharia when an SUV stopped in front of us. Eight to 10 masked men carrying pistols and sharp weapons threatened us and snatched my rifle. Then they took the cash trunk and fled from the spot," said Ranjan Kumar Dehury, the van's security guard.

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Cash loader Sanjay Swain said the criminals also took away their mobile phones after snatching the cash box.

There were four persons in the cash van including the driver, two security personnel and a cash loader, police said.

After getting information, Cuttack (rural) SP Mihir Panda and other police officers rushed to the spot and started investigations.

"We have formed three teams to arrest the criminals. We have sealed entry and exit points at different locations. We are also in touch with police in neighbouring districts," the SP added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)