Drama over dinner: ‘Burger bachas’ clean out Khadda Market diner after their plates

Restaurant staff thought the robbers were part of the crew and vice versa.

KARACHI:

They first ordered the famous Harri Mirch with naan and then they proceeded to clean out the television team shooting a drama serial episode upstairs in the restaurant.

The two armed men who pulled off the brazen robbery walked in to the restaurant in Defence’s Khadda Market at 11:31pm. They sat down, ordered their meal, ate it and then paid Rs330 for the bill, which also included a bottle of mineral water. All this time, upstairs, a team from a private television drama serial ‘Kitni Girhain Baqi Hain’ was shooting an episode.

Restaurant staff said that they initially mistook the duo as members of the television crew. Ironically enough, the drama team thought the robbers were restaurant staff. It did not help that the entire restaurant staff were riveted to the shooting, including the security guard Sardar. They were so engaged, that when the shooting ran past closing time at 12:30pm, the supervisor agreed to a request to go on for 45 more minutes.

“They seemed like they were from good families,” said floor supervisor Faisal. “As if they were from Defence or worst come to worst, Gizri.” The staff was fooled by their clean-shaved looks. One young man was in a shalwar kameez and the other in trousers and a shirt with a cap.

After dinner, one of the boys went to the washroom for about 20 minutes, according to manager Irfan, who said that they did not seem to be professional robbers as they had a nervous look about them. They then went upstairs, pulled out their guns and told everyone to get to one side. “When they took out the guns we had no idea what was going on,” said Irfan. “It seemed like the director had taken a U-turn but in the end, it turned out that we were all given a ‘u-turn’.”

Actor Arjumand Rahim said her team also thought that the men were part of the restaurant’s management. She, another actor Erum Shahid, their director Angeline Malik, four of their crew members and one director Shamoon Abbasi who was visiting were robbed of their cell phones, jewellry, cash and valuables. They even took the expensive recording equipment. “It seemed like they were police wallahs,” she said.

Luckily, the entire scene was recorded in the CCTV cameras. Two separate cases, one by the restaurant management and the second by the drama team were registered at the Gizri police station. No one could tell the police, however, if the duo left by motorcycle, car or by foot. They did say that the men did not leave a tip.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st,  2011.