KARACHI: Nearly half a dozen armed robbers stormed into a private bank on Mauripur Road on Tuesday and took away around Rs3.4 million in the second such incident within a week, police said.

The robbers also took away the gun of a security guard and mobile phones of the bankers, besides the booty, the officials added.

It was around 4pm when five armed robbers pulled up outside the branch of Bank Alfalah on Mauripur Road, the police said. Two of them relieved the lone security guard of his weapon while entering the premises, while the three others held the staff and clients hostage at gunpoint, said Kalri SHO Inspector Gul Hasan.

“One of the armed men stayed at the entrance most probably to keep an eye on the movement outside the branch. His accomplices collected money from the cash counter and mobile phones from bank staff. They completed the task within five minutes and fled, taking away the guard’s weapon along with Rs3.4 million and mobile phones,” the SHO said.

Culprits completed job within five minutes

After initial investigation, the police picked up the security guard for interrogation. “The statements of bank staff are being recorded,” the officer said, adding that the armed robbers used motorbikes as a mode of transport because one of the bandits was wearing a helmet.

While taking notice of the bank robbery, inspector general of police A.D. Khowaja sought a detailed inquiry report from the DIG South. “The Sindh IG also directed the DIG CIA that evidence should be collected from the crime scene to ensure early arrest of the robbers, their facilitators and sponsors,” said a statement issued by the Sindh police spokesman.

While the number of bank heists has dropped significantly in recent years mainly due to proactive policing and the ongoing Rangers-led operations across the metropolis, the off and on strikes by bandits remain a challenge as this was the fifth bank robbery incident in the city this year.

Just last Wednesday, armed robbers took away Rs7.2m from the North Karachi branch of a private bank.

Around two dozen bank robberies have been reported in the city each year between 2012 and 2014. The police often blamed the managements of the private banks and security companies for not meeting the required security standards that led to such incidents.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2017