Bank loses Rs460,000 in Gulshan armed robbery

Suspects include three men with one wearing a burqa

KARACHI: A group of armed robbers looted cash on Monday afternoon from a branch of Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Witnesses and the police said that at least three young armed men clad in shalwar kameez, one of whom was wearing a burqa, entered HBL's Nipa Chowrangi branch, located within the limits of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station, at around 3:10pm.

SHO Chaudhry Shahid said that the robbers held the security guards and staff hostage at gunpoint while looting at least Rs460,000 from the cash counter. The robbers then managed to escape. The officer said that the bandits also took a repeater rifle and pistol from the security guards with them while fleeing. The robbers managed to escape before the police reached the site.

SHO Shahid said that the robbers completed their swift operation in less than five minutes. The officer, while quoting the initial investigation findings, said that the robbers had arrived in a sky blue car and a few of their accomplices remained outside in the car as backup.  The robbers did not, however, take the CCTV cameras away with them while fleeing. SHO Shahid said that the police have obtained CCTV footage to probe the case. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2016.