Two motorcycle-borne assailants on Monday shot dead a cashier and security guard of a cash van in Bihar's Nalanda district and looted Rs 20 lakh from the van, police said.

The incident took place near a petrol pump in Sohsarai police station area, about 100 km from here, a police officer said.

District police officer J.P. Yadav said: " Cashier Ranjit Kumar and security guard Brij Nandan Prasad were shot dead by criminals when they were on way to refill cash in an ATM."

The police were investigating the incident.