Foiling bank robbery: Policeman shot while trying to stop bandits

Jamal Din Khan stopped five men from entering the bank when he was injured.

KARACHI: A policeman deployed outside a private bank was wounded while trying to foil an attempted robbery on Monday, just as his partner from a private security company fled inside the bank.

At least five men, wearing shalwar kameez, arrived at a branch of Habib Metropolitan Bank in Gulshan-e-Iqbal at around 2:15pm in a Suzuki High Roof. After getting suspicious, Jamal Din Khan tried to intercept two of them. The suspects then shot him twice in the neck and the abdomen. They took Khan’s weapon and then fled from the bank. The injured policeman was taken to Jinnah hospital for treatment, where he was reported to be in a critical condition.

DSP Nasir Lodhi said that Khan belonged to the Sindh Reserve Police. He confirmed that the private security guard fled inside the bank when the culprits started firing. Lodhi said that Khan would be given compensation for his brave effort and that the police department would bear all the expenses for his treatment. A case was registered against five people and further investigation was underway.  At least 17 banks have been robbed in the city so far this present year, while another half dozen bank robberies have been foiled.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2012.