Armed bandits rob Rotorua bank

Rotorua police are tonight hunting two men who robbed the Ngongotaha branch of the Westpac Bank at gunpoint this afternoon.

The men, one carrying a shotgun and the other a pistol, confronted two staff and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of cash, said Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Tony Colby.

The offenders fled the scene in a stolen silver Subaru Legacy station wagon, plate number BST 107.

The vehicle was found abandoned not far from the bank.

One offender was a Maori or Pacific Islander, 20 to 30, about 1.8m tall and of medium build.

Police have released a photo of the man without his face covered.

He wielded a double-barrelled shotgun.

The other was a shorter man armed with a pistol.

Police want to speak to anyone who saw the robbery or the offenders.

- NZPA