Cash, jewellery worth over Rs17.5m stolen from bank

Robbers broke in late at night as no security guards were deployed

RAWALPINDI:

Burglars broke into a branch of the Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) during the wee hours of Monday in the Dhoke Hassu area of ​​Rawalpindi and made

off with cash and jewellery estimated to be over Rs17 million, a police spokesperson said.

After receiving information, Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Ahsan Younus and Rawal Superintendent of Police (SP) Rai Mazhar Iqbal rushed to the site along with forensic experts, he added. The officials learnt that the security alarm system of the bank remained silent during the robbery while security guards were not deployed for the night duty.

The spokesperson mentioned that the bank staff found the place scattered when they returned to work on Monday morning. The lockers with cash, jewellery and other valuables were emptied. Iqbal said that the exact estimation of the loss will become clear only after a detailed review by the bank staff.

A police official maintained that according to the preliminary investigation, the heist took place late in the night when three or four burglars entered the bank by cutting the grill on the backside of the bank’s ventilation unit. They were equipped with gas cylinder and other equipment, he added.

He mentioned that the alarm system remained inactive during the robbery which was being investigated. Bank staff is determining the exact amount of loss while forensic teams collected evidence from the scene on Monday, he added.

Upon being contacted, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chaudhry Nisar Ali and Waris Khan police Station House Officer (SHO) Arshad Kiyani said that they would register a case after receiving a complaint from the bank’s management. The police also learnt that despite the long weekend, the security guards were not deployed for night duties.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the DVR of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras was also missing, however, some footage was intact which the police have seized. They added that geofencing of the area was also being done to trace the suspects.

Meanwhile, the bank’s Manager Operations Akhtar Nawaz recorded his statement with the Ratta Amral police station later in the evening on Monday. He stated that when he reached the bank in the morning, the doors leading to the vault as well as the locker rooms was broken.

After an evaluation of the loss, he said that over Rs17.5 million in cash was stolen while the contents of 39 lockers had also been emptied. A burglary case was registered while further investigation is under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2021.