Gone in 10 minutes: Bandits take away Rs0.75m in third bank heist of the month
Law enforcers are using CCTV footage to investigate the crime.
KARACHI:
Just a day after robbers stole around Rs2 million from a branch of United Bank Limited in SITE, at least seven men barged into a branch of another private bank and took off with Rs0.75 million.
The incident is the 15th bank heist this year and third of the month. The latest incident occurred at a Bank Al Habib branch located in Al-Hilal Cooperative Housing Society near Old Sabzi Mandi, within the jurisdiction of the New Town police station.
The police authorities have long suspected that bank robberies are helping fund extremist groups.
The robbers entered the bank at around noon and managed to escape with the money in ten minutes. DSP Nasir Lodhi said that the culprits first snatched weapons from two security guards and a metal detector from the third. They also held the staff and customers hostage at gunpoint.
The robbers stole Rs0.75 million. They also snatched customer cell phones before fleeing. The culprits, however, did not take the CCTV cameras and law enforcers are using the footage to investigate the crime.
DSP Lodhi said that the security guards have been taken into custody for questioning as the footage shows that they handed their weapons to culprits passively and did not attempt to foil the robbery.
It also shows that the culprits arrived in a Suzuki Mehran and two motorcycles. One robber was wearing a shirt and pants while the others wore shalwar kameez and slippers. No case was registered till the filing of this news story.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2012.
Just a day after robbers stole around Rs2 million from a branch of United Bank Limited in SITE, at least seven men barged into a branch of another private bank and took off with Rs0.75 million.
The incident is the 15th bank heist this year and third of the month. The latest incident occurred at a Bank Al Habib branch located in Al-Hilal Cooperative Housing Society near Old Sabzi Mandi, within the jurisdiction of the New Town police station.
The police authorities have long suspected that bank robberies are helping fund extremist groups.
The robbers entered the bank at around noon and managed to escape with the money in ten minutes. DSP Nasir Lodhi said that the culprits first snatched weapons from two security guards and a metal detector from the third. They also held the staff and customers hostage at gunpoint.
The robbers stole Rs0.75 million. They also snatched customer cell phones before fleeing. The culprits, however, did not take the CCTV cameras and law enforcers are using the footage to investigate the crime.
DSP Lodhi said that the security guards have been taken into custody for questioning as the footage shows that they handed their weapons to culprits passively and did not attempt to foil the robbery.
It also shows that the culprits arrived in a Suzuki Mehran and two motorcycles. One robber was wearing a shirt and pants while the others wore shalwar kameez and slippers. No case was registered till the filing of this news story.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2012.