KARACHI, Feb 8: Four masked gunmen stormed into a commercial bank on Friday, killing a guard before making off with the booty, police said.

They said the bandits entered the MCB Ranchore Lane branch near Bohra Pir at around 9.40am and took away Rs1.05 million.

The police said two of the robbers wrested a gun from the bank security guard, while another leapt over the cash counter and held the cashier at gunpoint and the fourth robber stood guard during the robbery that lasted no longer than five minutes.

Bank manager Waheed Ahmed reported to the Risala police that he along with other staff was present in the bank when the bandits entered. He said the bandits held him and staff hostage.

The manager stated that a robber became jittery when the 45-year-old guard, Wahid Ali, tried to put up a resistance and the robber shot him to his head.

The victim, hailing from Hyderabad, was shifted to the Civil Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hospital sources said a single bullet went through the victim’s skull as it must have been fired from a very close range.

Senior Police Officer (SPO) of Risala, Malik Mazhar Awan, told Dawn that a police patrol had conducted the routine checking at the bank hardly 10 minutes before the robbery.

He said the deceased guard was an employee of MCB Foundation, which provides security to its branches. “The MCB Foundation team also came to the bank at the same time when the police patrol reached there and they also check the security around the bank,” he added.

He said there was no alarm system or close-circuit TV camera installed in the branch which was still under renovation.

The SPO quoted bank staff as saying that the robbers, who fled the scene on their bikes, appeared to be Baloch or Makrani by their accent.

The SPO said he along with SP investigation Niaz Ahmed Khoso immediately rushed to the spot.

He said there were two security guards in the bank at the time of robbery. “One of them should have been at his strategic position as a standard security measure,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources said the branch was earlier located in the same area and it moved to the new place three days ago. They said the construction work was still in progress.

It may be recalled here a gang of four dacoits accompanied by a private security guard had looted nearly Rs5 million from a bank on Jan 31 in Gulsitan-i-Jauhar.

The security guard, Saleem Abdullah, was deputed at the branch of Soneri Bank in the Block-18, and he masterminded and executed the whole robbery plan with his three accomplices.

Incident of bank robberies has marked an increasing trend in Karachi since 2007, during which 21 branches of different banks were looted.

However, not a single bank robbery case has so far been solved by the police.

Three bank robberies each were committed in Ferozabad and North Nazimabad police areas, two each in Azizabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, and one each in the police precincts of Gulberg, Gulbahar, Sharifabad, Taimuriya, Gulishtan-Jauhar, Soldier Bazar, Shah Faisal Colony, Shareay Faisal, Pirabad and Site.