Three big robberies have now taken place in the capital in the last 24 hours and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) had to endure these lapses of security more than any other organisation in the city.
On Thursday, HBL’s Industrial area branch lost over Rs.2.5 million in a daylight robbery and on the following day, another group of robbers struck at its branch at Soan area, Sihala, in the outskirts of the city.
Police said four men arrived in a car at the bank and the two security guards stationed at the entrance of the branch were quick to surrender their weapons. Robbers entered the building easily. However, a staffer spotted the robbers and alerted the locals to gather outside the bank.
Before the people could gather enough strength to apprehend the robbers, the latter managed to escape the bank in their vehicle. An official from the bank told the police that the robbers made away with over a quarter million rupees however, the scrutiny of cash was underway to ascertain the exact loss which it was feared could go up.
It was a third incident of robbery in the capital city where police remain vigilant during night with over hundred checkpoints established all across the city involving all wings of police including the anti-terrorist squad and the Anti-Car lifting Cell.
While the police remain vigilant during the night, the robbers have started taking them in the broad daylight. None of the robberies in the last month, majority of them in sector I-9 Industrial, could be traced. The best action from police came in the form of the change of SHO of the Industrial Area Police Station on Thursday night.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2011.
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