Robbers take away over Rs17 m in twin cities’ bank heists

They remained in bank for about 40 minutes and snatched keys of strongroom from manager and took away Rs15 million.

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI:

Two private banks were robbed of over Rs17 million in broad daylight bank heists in twin cities on Thursday.

In the first incident six persons wearing the uniform of a private security agency took away Rs15 million from Bank Dubai Al-Islami at Rehmanabad on Benazir Bhutto (formerly Murree) Road making the staff of the bank hostage at gun point.

The area police said six persons entered the bank building at about 8am when the bank guards’ shift was to be changed. The robbers first made the guards hostage and allowed the bank staff to come in.

They remained in the bank for about 40 minutes and snatched the keys of the strongroom from the manager and took away Rs15 million.

Regional Police Officer (RPO), Rawalpindi, Captain (retired) Muhammad Zubair during his visit to the bank told media persons that the possibility of involvement of the bank guards could not be ruled out. He added the police had taken two of the guards into custody for quizzing and the robbers would soon be arrested.

In the second incident five unarmed men robbed over Rs2.5 million from a bank near Sabzi Mandi (fruit and vegetable market) in Sector I-11 of Islamabad.

Police said two men entered Bank Alfalah in the afternoon and stayed there while their three accomplices followed them in and overpowered two security guards, snatched their weapons and held the staff and the cashier at gunpoint.

They took all the money from the cash counter and fled in a Suzuki Alto car.

Police took both the security guards into custody on suspicion of complacency with the robbers. However, police said one of the guards said that one of the robbers was concealing an iron rod in his clothing which he used to neutralise the guard and snatched his weapon.

The robbers asked the second guard to surrender his weapon and made the people present in the bank hostage. Two of them kept an eye on the guards, bank staff and the customers while their third accomplice collected the money and all of them escaped within a few minutes.

The bank staff were not sure as to how much amount had been robbed as their computerised system was not working properly but they told the police that it could not be less than Rs2.5 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2011.