PESHAWAR: Robbers broke into a National Bank branch on the eve of Eidul Fitr, exploiting a lack of overnight security to steal more than one million rupees in cash and jewellery worth Rs210 million, police said.

The incident occurred on Friday night at a National Bank branch on Kohat Road. The robbers entered the facility from an open area at the back, using cutters and other tools to break in.

Police said that with no guard on duty due to a “no security shift policy at night”, the robbers were able to steal Rs1.37m in cash from the registers.

“They broke lockers and stole around 400 tolas of gold from safety lockers,” a police official said, adding that a gas cylinder was also used to cut through steel. The total value of the stolen jewellery was estimated at Rs 210m.

Police pore over CCTV for clues, launch raids in different districts

Peshawar police spokesperson Alam Khan said a special investigation team has been formed to probe the robbery. Raids were being carried out in the districts of Khyber, Kohat, and Kurram, as well as in the capital, Islamabad, he said.

Investigators are obtaining CCTV footage from cameras installed in buildings around the bank and from the city’s Safe City Project to identify and arrest the suspects, Mr Khan said.

The heist is the second major bank robbery incident in the provincial capital in less than 15 days.

On March 6, police thwarted a robbery attempt at a private bank in the Pirbala area, which resulted in an exchange of fire that injured three officers. One of the policemen later died from his injuries.

A series of bank robberies has been reported across the region in recent years. In March 2024, an armed group looted a cash van in the Nishtarabad area. In Oct 2022, robbers looted over Rs10m from a private bank in Lakki Marwat city in broad daylight.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2026