KARACHI, June 1: In the fifth bank robbery of the year, bandits took away Rs3.5 million from a bank branch in the Defence Housing Authority on Friday, police said.

Earlier on May 14, Rs6.8 million was taken away in a bank heist in Naval Colony in Baldia Town.

The police said at least four armed bandits entered the private bank branch located at Badar Commercial in DHA.

“Initially, two bandits entered the bank and asked the cashier for a change. They were told by the cashier to wait. In the meantime their two accomplices also entered the bank,” said Saddar division SP Khurram Ali.

They pushed away two guards Mehboob and Raheel present at the door, took their repeater guns and unloaded them.

The staff members and customers were taken hostage at gunpoint. The bandits collected the cash from the strongroom, but they did not take along the digital video recorder installed at the bank. The police obtained the CCTV footage and initiated investigation.

The officials said that the footage suggested the security guards were involved in the robbery because they handed their weapons to the dacoits without any resistance.

The police detained both security guards. An FIR (222/2012) on the complaint of the bank manager was registered at the Darakhshan police station.