Collecting funds: Rs700,000 gone in third bank robbery this week
Robbers walked into HBL Drigh Road branch and held employees at gunpoint.
Robbers walked into HBL Drigh Road branch and held employees at gunpoint. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
With a lull of one day in between, another bank was robbed by armed men in Shah Faisal Colony in broad daylight on Friday.
This time, the robbers walked away with Rs700,000 from Habib Bank Limited (HBL), making it the third robbery of this week. Earlier on Wednesday, over Rs4 million were robbed by armed men from the branches of two private banks in Landhi and Ferozabad.
On Friday at around noon, a group of at least five armed men entered the Cantt Bazaar branch of HBL on Drigh Road with the intention of robbing it. “As soon as they entered the bank, they fired a few shot to create panic and fear among the employees, the security guards and customers,” said Shah Faisal Colony SP Ali Asif. “This was one of the first incidents of its kind as the robbers usually do not resort to firing until anyone offers resistance.”
Later, they snatched the weapons from the two security guards and held everyone hostage at gunpoint before they moved towards the cash counter. “One of the guards loaded his gun but he did not open a single fire,” said the officer. “This inefficiency of the guard created some confusion and now we suspect he may have been involved.”
The robbers managed to gather around Rs700,000 from the cash room and then escaped along with the weapons they snatched. The police have detained the two guards for their possible involvement in the robbery.
ASI Ali Sher was also suspended for negligence. “I suspended him [Sher] because he was the officer at a nearby police van and it was his duty to visit the bank during routine patrolling,” SP Asif explained. “There was a lot of money in the bank but, fortunately, the remaining amount remained safe.”
The robbers, who escaped on motorcycles, failed to take the DVR system, which has been obtained by the police. A case has been registered against unidentified men.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2013.
With a lull of one day in between, another bank was robbed by armed men in Shah Faisal Colony in broad daylight on Friday.
This time, the robbers walked away with Rs700,000 from Habib Bank Limited (HBL), making it the third robbery of this week. Earlier on Wednesday, over Rs4 million were robbed by armed men from the branches of two private banks in Landhi and Ferozabad.
On Friday at around noon, a group of at least five armed men entered the Cantt Bazaar branch of HBL on Drigh Road with the intention of robbing it. “As soon as they entered the bank, they fired a few shot to create panic and fear among the employees, the security guards and customers,” said Shah Faisal Colony SP Ali Asif. “This was one of the first incidents of its kind as the robbers usually do not resort to firing until anyone offers resistance.”
Later, they snatched the weapons from the two security guards and held everyone hostage at gunpoint before they moved towards the cash counter. “One of the guards loaded his gun but he did not open a single fire,” said the officer. “This inefficiency of the guard created some confusion and now we suspect he may have been involved.”
The robbers managed to gather around Rs700,000 from the cash room and then escaped along with the weapons they snatched. The police have detained the two guards for their possible involvement in the robbery.
ASI Ali Sher was also suspended for negligence. “I suspended him [Sher] because he was the officer at a nearby police van and it was his duty to visit the bank during routine patrolling,” SP Asif explained. “There was a lot of money in the bank but, fortunately, the remaining amount remained safe.”
The robbers, who escaped on motorcycles, failed to take the DVR system, which has been obtained by the police. A case has been registered against unidentified men.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2013.