Smooth criminals: In 12th bank robbery of the year, 4 men steal Rs2.3m

Staff members were held hostage while the suspects emptied the cash register and strongroom.

KARACHI: In the 12th bank robbery of the year, four men in shalwar kameez managed to escape with Rs2.3 million on Wednesday.

The authorities suspect that it was an inside job and will be interrogating staff members. They also suspect that these men were involved in a robbery that took place on October 6 in North Nazimabad where seven men stole Rs4.5 million.

At around 12:31 pm the suspects barged into Habib Bank Limited on Rashid Minhas Road in Shara-e-Faisal while their accomplice was waiting outside in a Suzuki hi-roof. They left with the money five minutes later. The staff members said that the robbers entered the bank as if they were customers and one of them snatched a gun from the security guard standing next to the cash counter. They added that the other three robbers took out their guns and took them hostage. They told us that they would shoot anyone who tried to interfere with the robbery, said the employees. “Then we were to stay on one side of the room so they could go about their work.” According to them, the men looked like they were in their late 20s.

The staff said that after taking money from the cash counter and strongroom, the suspects went to the manager’s room and took the DVR system too. They added that they had used the alarm button to alert the security but the men had managed to escape before they got there. “They knew where the money and DVR system were, it was almost as if they knew where everything was better than us,” they said.

The shopkeepers around the bank said that they found out about the robbery when the police arrived. “We see nearly one hundred cars a day so we don’t know what car the suspects were using,” said a shopkeeper. “I did see a hi-roof but it was parked near the Gulistan-e-Jauhar Morr so I doubt it was the same one.”

District East SSP Javed Odho confirmed that the robbery had taken place. He added that they were still trying to verify if the employees had pressed the alarm button. “It is not necessary that the employees were involved,” he said. “We have asked the bank to give us details of some former employees because we cannot rule out their involvement as yet.” The SSP added that the men were armed with TT pistols.

While talking to The Express Tribune, SSP Odho said that the main problem was the fact that the banks did not follow the standard operating procedure.

He added that this means that the security guards should have a separate cabin which would be equipped with an extra DVR system for back-up.

The police said that they are still waiting for the bank manager Naseem to register the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2011.