Robber loots mobile phones worth Rs4.5m in 35-hour heist

KARACHI: A lone robber looted a mobile shop in Aman Tower, Saddar on Tuesday. The suspect stayed in the mall for nearly 35 hours and walked away with 111 mobile phones worth around Rs4.5 million. He had blackened all surveillance cameras with spray paint when he entered the mall. The incident occurred in the jurisdiction of Preedy Police Station and a case was registered after CCTV footage from the mall's cameras was acquired besides other evidence.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Saddar SP Amjad Hayat and Preedy SHO Liaqaut Hayat said that the suspect entered Aman Tower on Saturday night and broke the locks of the shop. He left the mall on Monday around 10.30am. The policemen confirmed that the thief took 111 android phones.  The suspect had come prepared with food like roasted chickpeas to sustain him during the robbery, they added.

Expressing their shock, the policemen said that there was a guard present on each of the four entrances of the mall at the time of the robbery but the guards remained oblivious to the thief's activity. They said that the suspect can be seen, in the CCTV footage, spraying the cameras while he had his face covered with a cloth. Police are trying to acquire more video footage. A  case has been registered.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2019.