Attempted Robbery: Police investigate

Robbers try to steal Rs500,000 in a bank robbery, but fail to carry away any money.

GUJRANWALA:

Armed men, who were thought to have taken away around Rs500,000 in a bank robbery, were not able to carry away any money, police said on Friday night.

Earlier, the bank had estimated that the men had made away with Rs500,000. But after the money was re-counted, it was found that they had been unable to take away any. Four robbers had entered the United Bank College Road branch on Friday afternoon. Four people, including a guard and the assistant manager of the bank, had been shot in the robbery attempt. Police said that the guard, Fazal Majeed, had thwarted the robbery by snatching the bag that the robbers had put the loot in. Majeed said he had been shot when he grabbed the bag. CPO Abdur Razzaq Cheema told The Express Tribune that he had asked managers of all banks in the city to meet with him so that bank robberies could be prevented.

Cheema said the police had viewed the CCTV footage, adding that all the robbers “looked like Pathans”.

By the end of the day, police were able to give more details about what had happened.

Kashif, told police that of the four robbers, two “looked like Pathans”. Nadeem and Rizwan said that the men had thrown pieces of bricks at them. They said one of the robbers had a limp. The men, said the witnesses, were on foot and escaped after snatching a motorcycle.

The police also talked to the owner of the motorbike. Cheema said the men dumped the bike in Satellite Market and fled on another motorcycle they  snatched. The guard said the men had carried 0.12 bore shotguns and 0.30 bore pistols.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2012.