NOWSHERA, Oct 21: Bandits took away Rs5.3 million from a branch of Habib Bank on the main street in Nowshera cantonment in a strike that continued from Friday evening till early hours of Saturday, officials said.

Mubarik Ahmad, chief manager, and Abul Hassan, second manager of the branch, reported to the police that some bendits had broken into the bank at night and took away cash after breaking the strong room.

The robbers worked all night inside the bank building and used grinders and drill machines to break into the strong room. They also broke three safes, one of which contained documents, and took away Rs5.3 million. The safe, containing foreign currency, was left untouched.

District police officer Mohammad Tahir Khan, DSP Gulzar Ali Khan and SHO cantt police station Nisar Hussain reached the bank soon after receiving the information and started investigation.

The security guard, Nauroz Khan, who was taken into custody, told the police that he was making shave in the washroom when some men forcibly entered the bank and overpowered him. He said that the robbers gave him some injection after which they locked him in the washroom.

Nauroz told police that before he fell unconscious he could sense that the robbers were using drill machines and grinders to break the locks. Later, he was examined from a medical board to determine the nature of the injection.

Sources said that earlier in the day the bank staff had distributed about Rs18.3 million as salaries among different departments. They said that another Rs2 million lying in the Auto Teller Machine (ATM) also remained unnoticed.