GUJRAT, Aug 31: Four dacoits looted Rs6 million in cash from NBP’s Ghala Mandi branch in Lalamusa on Thursday. This was the second and the biggest dacoity incident in the history of Lalamusa at the same branch during the last four years.

Reports said that unmasked bandits entered the bank at around 11.30am and held hostage at gunpoint the entire staff, including the guard. After collecting Rs6 million in cash from the cashier and lockers, the gunmen managed to escape from the scene.

Following the incident, SP (Investigation) Mahmoodul Hasan Qureshi and SHO Asif Hanif Joya reached the spot and gathered information from bank manager Zameer Shah and other staff.

No case was registered till the filing of this report.

Some PPP politicians, including a PML nazim, had held a press conference on Wednesday where they leveled corruption allegations against SHO Asif Joya. They also alleged that the SHO had also maltreated councillor Arshad Butt.

DPO Syed Ahsan Mehboob had replaced former SHO Chaudhry Anwar with Asif Joya some two months ago with instructions to the latter to bring down the crime rate, the organized crime and ban display of arms.

SHO Joya did make efforts in lowering the crime graph while he also launched operations against bootleggers and the people involved in the prize bond gambling.

He also detained some members of different active groups which helped reduce the display of arms.

Meanwhile, four dacoits had looted Rs1.8 million in cash from the same branch on March 1, 2002. The police believed that same dacoits had looted Rs1.5 million in cash from the National Saving Centre in Lalamusa on April 12, 2002.

The then DPO had formed a team of investigators who arrested two dacoits, including ringleader Afzal alias Major of Sahanwal. Their other accomplices were identified as Mazhar Butt of Phalia, Zaigham Shah, Yasir and Kashif.

The arrested dacoits had been sent to jail after the completion of their physical remand, but no recovery was shown.

Investigators had reported that the two dacoits confessed to have committed the two dacoities, but they spent the looted money in gambling and watching dances at various places in Lahore and Karachi.