Police suspect inside job in bank locker heist

Lockers of same bank branch in Clifton broken thrice in a year

KARACHI:

This seems like an inside job, a police investigator said commenting on the case theft from lockers of the same bank branch on Zamzma Avenue in the remits of Clifton police station thrice this year.

"The management was not cooperating with us earlier, we were up against the wall trying to get evidence as to how lockers of the same branch on city's top fashion street were ransacked three times over a period of six months," the official told The Express Tribune.

Therefore the investigation police on Saturday moved an application requesting formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) for investigating the incident. The investigation officer of the case has written a letter to the higher officers, said South district Investigations SSP Imran Mirza adding that the letter recommended including Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the JIT.

According to the investigator's request, the federal sleuths are already investigating two incidents reported at the bank therefore they should be taken on board in the JIT.

Clifton police officers said that three major burglaries were reported at separate incidents at the locker room of the same branch.

A businessman reported missing $0.1 million from his locker at the said bank branch, but he never filed a formal complaint, rather evaded any legal questioning as to where did he get the foreign currency from. Later 35 tolas of gold were also stolen from the lockers.

However, the theft of 250 tolas gold proved to be the biggest one so far this year. In total, over Rs70 million worth of thefts have been reported from the bank branch in the last few months.

SSP Mirza said that police have sought documents of the bank management while the further investigation in the said regard is underway.

Separately, the investigation officer shared that the police suspect involvement of the bank staff and have expanded the scale of the probe.

Earlier, the bank management was not co-operating in the probe of the lockers but is now cooperating in the investigation. The investigation is reaching conclusion and soon the suspects will be arrested.

He said that the investigation done so far add up to one thing that no one from outside but a bank employee is involved in the crime. Subsequently, the Clifton police have set their plainclothesmen after the bank staff to keep eye on their movements.

The investigator reminded that a day after a woman reported 250 tolas of gold missing from her locker, seven other lockers containing gold, foreign currency and jewelry worth millions of rupees were discovered to have been looted as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2021.