Hosur: An armed gang robbed gold worth Rs 7 crore and Rs 96,000 in cash from the Muthoot Finance branch at Hosur in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district on Friday.

The incident happened soon after the branch located on the Hosur-Bagalur Road was opened for business around 10am. The six-member gang, which covered their faces to hide their identities, held the staff members at gunpoint with arms tied, the police said.

According to sources, the manager of the branch and four employees were present in the building at the time. The robbers forced them to open the chest, from which the gold and cash was taken.

According to TV reports, the robbers have also took away the video recorder of the CCTV.

Hosur police have registered a case and the probe is on. The police suspect that the robbers have escaped to Karnataka and special teams were sent to Bengaluru and other parts of the state for hunting them down, a leading national daily reported.