November 15, 2008	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 16, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 14: A policeman and a private security guard were killed by bandits who took away over Rs5.6 million in a bank heist on Friday morning.

Police said that around eight suspects came to the MCB Bank branch on Hawkesbay Road in the limits of Mauripur police station in three cars.

Police constable Mukhtar Hussain suffered 10 bullet wounds fired from a sub-machine gun, while security guard Shah Alam also suffered multiple bullet wounds from an AK-47 rifle.

Keamari SP Rao Anwar said that the criminals first killed the police constable. They used a silencer fitted sub-machine-gun and hence the bank staff and private security guard did not hear the gunshots being fired outside the bank. Describing the footage captured by the CCTV, SP Anwar said that five suspects – one of them with his face covered – entered the bank and went in different directions.

They took hostage the private security guard and started beating him. When he put up resistance, they shot and killed him.

As the five suspects were busy inside the bank, three of their accomplices stood guard outside, the SP said.

“We have obtained the CD from the CCTV and are trying to enhance the image in order to identify the suspects,” the officer said.

A senior police officer said that the entire heist was carried out by the suspects in five minutes and a few seconds, which suggests that they were not amateurs.

He pointed out that this was not the first time that particular bank branch was robbed as it had also been targeted in the past.

An FIR (309/2008) was registered at the Mauripur police station under Section 396 of the PPC on the complaint of the bank manager.

Provincial Police Officer Babar Khattak announced the posthumous promotion of slain constable Mukhtar Hussain, whose official funeral prayers were offered at the Garden Police Headquarters. Later, his body was sent to his native town of Naushehro Feroz. The last but bloodless bank break-in took place last month on Oct 20, when suspects forced their way into the Habib Bank Limited’s Cantonment branch on Sharea Faisal. The two suspects escaped with foreign currency and gold ornaments.

Police are yet to make any headway in the investigation of the Cantonment branch robbery.

Ex-MQM man Killed

A former activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was killed by unknown suspects in Sachal area on Friday evening, police said.

Police said that Syed Tariq Ali, 37, was on a motorcycle when he was shot by unknown persons near Rizvia Phase II.

They said that the victim managed to call his family the moment he fell to the ground after the gunshot. Following the incident, his cellphone was found lying close to the body, which suggests that it was not a cellphone snatching attempt.

Police said the victim suffered a gunshot in his head causing his death. Quoting close family members, they said that the deceased was an estate agent and a former MQM activist.

However, for the last three years he had parted ways with the party and was concentrating on his work, the family told the police.

The deceased was a resident of Muslim Town, Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Following the incident police were shifting the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for post-mortem examination, but some activists of the party gathered and shifted the body to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities.

Accident

A young boy died and three others were injured in a road accident at Karimabad bridge on Friday morning.

Police said that a speeding car rammed into an electric pole at the bridge killing 12-year Rehan and wounding three others.

The children belonged to the same family while the driver of the car was also seriously injured in the accident. The children were heading to school when the accident occurred.