Kaithal (Haryana), Oct 27 : Local traders and their customers swung into action and foiled a bid by armed robbers to take away a trunk full of cash from outside a nationalised bank branch in this Haryana town Tuesday, police said.

The robbers even fired in air to scare away the bank security guards but this did not deter the onlookers, who threw stones and whatever came to their hand to stop the robbers from running away with the cash.

According to police, the staff of State Bank of India's Sabzimandi branch in the town, 130 km from Chandigarh, were unloading the iron trunk containing cash from a bank vehicle parked in front of the bank when the robbers came and tried to loot the cash.

"Suddenly four armed robbers came and fired in the air. One of them pointed his gun towards the security guard, while his accomplices snatched the trunk from the bank staff. After this, they started running towards their car, parked at some distance away, in this busy market," Kaithal's Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagat Singh told reporters here.    

"On seeing this, some of the vendors around and their customers started chasing the robbers. To stop them, they threw whatever they got in their hands at the robbers. Fearing that they might be caught, the robbers dropped the trunk and fled," he added.    

Police have registered a case against four unidentified people and started investigations.    (IANS)