Heists in retrospect: Guards seen as prime suspects

A total of 22 bank robberies took place in the year 2010.

KARACHI: Security guards employed at banks have become prime suspects for most bank robberies that have taken place recently.

Robbers join private security companies with the sole intention of robbing a bank, according to the data collected by Daily Express. They show fake identity cards and other certificates and usually opt for night duty.

Since the police are not deployed at banks, guards have fairly easy access. In most of the bank heists in the past year, robbers not just stole the cash but also ran away with tapes of surveillance cameras.

The suspects often choose to commit the crime on a holiday and get help from other accomplices. In one case, suspects used gas cutters to make their way into the strong room and lockers and stole cash worth millions as well as jewellery and foreign currency.

It was also noted that the suspects leave the city immediately after committing the crime so when the police come around to suspecting them, they are well hidden. The police have used the contact details provided to the company that hired them but in most cases it turned out that the credentials were false.

All security guards need to obtain a clearance from the police before they can be employed by a company. The police then check the candidate’s background, previous jobs held, etc. It is likely that they get a false clearance from the police after paying bribe.

Bank heists across the city

A total of 22 bank robberies took place in the city last year and most of them were planned by the security guards.

During the year 2010, most bank heists occurred in the west zone, where 12 banks were looted. Four of these banks are located within the jurisdiction of Gulberg police station. Six banks were robbed in the east zone, while four banks were robbed in the south zone.

In the west zone, one robbery took place within the jurisdiction of Joharabad police station, two within the jurisdiction of Taimuria police station in North Nazimabad and one robbery took place within the jurisdiction of Sharae Noor Jehan police station. Apart from these stations, banks in Sharifabad, Liaquatabad, Orangi Town and Site Town were also looted. Three banks were robbed in the jurisdiction of Sharae Faisal police station in Shah Faisal Town, one within the jurisdiction of Shah Faisal Colony police station, two bank robberies took place in Gulshan Town within the jurisdiction of New Town police station.

One bank was robbed in Clifton and another was robbed in Defence in the south zone. A bank robbery took place in Jamshed Quarter Town in the limits of Brigade police station and another bank was looted in the jurisdiction of Ferozabad police station.

Some major cases

On October 5, 2010, at least four unidentified robbers stole Rs1.9 million from a private bank’s branch in DHA. The entire robbery lasted only three minutes. Clifton SP Tariq Razzak Dharejo said, however, that the dacoits took the security guard’s pistol with them.

In another bank heist in Qasba Colony on June 3, 2010, the law-enforcement personnel reached the bank before the culprits had escaped. A 30-minute gun battle followed in which one of the robbers tried to attack the police and Rangers by throwing a hand grenade. The then CCPO Karachi Waseem Ahmed confirmed to The Express Tribune that the robbers were Lashkar-i-Jhangvi workers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2011.