Bank robberies: Three-member ‘gang’ apprehended
Suspects have looted five banks in two years, says SIU SSP Farooq Awan.
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) claimed on Thursday to have apprehended a robbers' group behind this year's first bank heist and two others that followed.
SSP Farooq Awan of the SIU, held a press conference at his office in CIA Centre, Karachi, that three robbers, identified as Imtiaz Memon alias Policewala, Asif Baig and Arif Anwar, were arrested in a raid conducted in Machhar Colony, a slum area in District West.
The suspects have looted five banks in two years, said SSP Awan, adding that three robberies at Allied and JS banks' branches were carried out in 2016 while the two others took place last year.
Robbers loot another bank in less than two weeks
Allied Bank Limited's Awami Colony branch was the first to be robbed this year. Nine suspects barged into the bank in Korangi's K-Area on January 8 and took away around Rs1.3 million with them. Two weeks later, JS Bank's branch in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 7 was robbed of Rs374,446. Then, in the following week, the same bank in Sachal Goth locality was looted of Rs4.2 million.
Two of the arrested suspects' accomplices were killed in a shootout last week as the police, acting on a tip-off, raided their whereabouts in Korangi, said the SSP, adding that the deceased were identified as Arsalan and Murad alias Tiger.
Awan added that SIU gained another success as another bank dacoit, Sardar Safeer, who is said to be the ring leader of the Parachinar gang, was nabbed in Abbottabad. The gang is behind the lockers-break at Meezan Bank branch in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in May last year, he said. Rs2.7 million were looted in the incident. A suspect, Khalil Bangash, is already in custody in connection with the case, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2016.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) claimed on Thursday to have apprehended a robbers' group behind this year's first bank heist and two others that followed.
SSP Farooq Awan of the SIU, held a press conference at his office in CIA Centre, Karachi, that three robbers, identified as Imtiaz Memon alias Policewala, Asif Baig and Arif Anwar, were arrested in a raid conducted in Machhar Colony, a slum area in District West.
The suspects have looted five banks in two years, said SSP Awan, adding that three robberies at Allied and JS banks' branches were carried out in 2016 while the two others took place last year.
Robbers loot another bank in less than two weeks
Allied Bank Limited's Awami Colony branch was the first to be robbed this year. Nine suspects barged into the bank in Korangi's K-Area on January 8 and took away around Rs1.3 million with them. Two weeks later, JS Bank's branch in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 7 was robbed of Rs374,446. Then, in the following week, the same bank in Sachal Goth locality was looted of Rs4.2 million.
Two of the arrested suspects' accomplices were killed in a shootout last week as the police, acting on a tip-off, raided their whereabouts in Korangi, said the SSP, adding that the deceased were identified as Arsalan and Murad alias Tiger.
Awan added that SIU gained another success as another bank dacoit, Sardar Safeer, who is said to be the ring leader of the Parachinar gang, was nabbed in Abbottabad. The gang is behind the lockers-break at Meezan Bank branch in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in May last year, he said. Rs2.7 million were looted in the incident. A suspect, Khalil Bangash, is already in custody in connection with the case, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2016.