Dacoits killed a guard, wounded another and stole Rs4.29 million from the Muslim Commercial Bank branch near Hamdard Chowk, Township, on Wednesday afternoon. The robbers are believed to be the same gang behind several bank robberies this year.
A bank official told The Express Tribune that three masked men entered the bank at around 1:40pm while another stood outside. Security guard Younus, who scanned people with a metal detector at the entrance, was shot in the ankle.
A second guard housed in a cabin, Abdul Latif, opened fire but missed the robbers. One of the dacoits shot back and killed him. They were then able to clean out the bank, including the vault, in one minute and forty seconds.
Latif, aged around 45, was a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan. Sources in the morgue said that he had five bullet wounds on his body.
A policeman who inspected the scene said that AK-47 and .222 rifle bullet shells had been found. He said the dacoits had fired at another bank nearby while fleeing the scene, breaking windows. The manager of that received minor injuries from shards of glass. The dacoits then drove way in a silver Toyota Corolla towards Pindi Stop on Peco Road.
Township police registered an FIR against five men on the application of MCB manager Zahid, including the driver of the getaway car. Township SHO Farhan Aslam said the police had collected finger prints and other evidence from the scene. Sketches of the suspects would be prepared on Thursday, he added.
Another policeman said that CCTV footage and the gang’s modus operandi suggested it was the same group that had robbed three banks in police uniform in recent months. “This time they were not wearing police uniforms,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.
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One Minute and 40 seconds? This is ridiculous. Unless they had help from inside. It amazes me how the police can not nab this gang although they have security footage. And the security companies need to provide at least 2 week courses for their guards to aim properly. The guard who was housed in the cabin should be provided a bullet proof glassed cabin with only a small slit where the gun nozel can be placed.