MANSEHRA, Feb 17: Five armed persons looted more than Rs3.5 million from the local branch of a bank here on Thursday.

Sources said that armed robbers entered the United Bank branch at fruit and vegetable market, locked the staff in the strong-room at gunpoint and decamped with more than Rs3.5 million.

A police party, headed by District Police Officer Sohail Khalid, reached the bank after the incident and barred entry of accountholders and other people into the bank until the preliminary investigations were over.

The bank manager, Sajjaul Mulk, told police that at around 11am five armed men entered the bank when the staffers were busy in their official work. “The robbers locked the bank officials and two account holders present there at gunpoint in the strong-room and took with them more than Rs3.5 million,” he added.

He said that at the time of robbery an amount of Rs4.5 million was present in the shelves and counters of the bank but robbers collected only easily accessible money.

Police said that robbers also deprived accountholders Mohammad Jamil and Mohammad Shakil of Rs97,000 before leaving the bank.

Khursheed Tanoli, the SHO of City police station, said that investigations were underway.

INQUIRY: MNA Mohammad Nawaz has demanded of the government to launch inquiry into destruction of 153 schools by officials without approval of the department concerned.

“It is a big financial scam in the history of Battagram. About 153 schools, which were in good condition, have been demolished on the orders of officials. But now Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority is not taking responsibility to reconstruct these destroyed schools,” he told journalists in Battagram on Thursday.

The MNA said that though a large number of schools had developed dangerous cracks after the October 8, 2005 devastating earthquake in Mansehra district, yet 153 schools, which were demolished in 2009 and 2010, did not need to be repaired.

He said that it was not clear as to who was responsible for destruction of those schools. The responsible officials must be taken to task, he added.

Mr Nawaz said that a large number of students in those areas were deprived of education for the last two years as neither their schools were reconstructed nor they were provide with makeshift shelters to continue their studies. He said that he would raise the issue in National Assembly.