KARACHI, Nov 24: Bandits looted over Rs4.4 million in yet another bank robbery on a second consecutive day, taking the number of bank heists in the city to 15 this year.

Earlier, a gang of armed robbers had looted Rs4 million from a branch of Habib Metropolitan Bank at Hasan Square within the remit of the Aziz Bhatti police station.

The Soldier Bazaar police said that six robbers armed with pistols entered the HBL branch on Jamaat Khana Road in Garden East at around 9.15am, snatched a rifle from the lone guard at the branch and held the staff and visitors hostage at gunpoint.

The bandits first scooped up cash from the counter and then made the bank staff open the vault, the police said. They stuffed bags with cash and left the rifle of the security guard in the vault.

“A total of Rs4,486,870 was robbed from the bank,” the police said.

The police said that the bandits also relieved three bank visitors of their cellular phones and wrist watches before fleeing.

Four accomplices of the dacoits were waiting for them in a Suzuki pick-up parked near the bank. After the swift operation, they drove away.

In Wednesday’s bank robbery, the bandits had used a Suzuki Hi-roof.

The bandits also took away the CCTV camera and its footage.

No policeman was posted at the bank at the time of robbery, witnesses said.

The police registered a case (FIR 305/2011) against six to seven unidentified culprits under Section 395 (robbery) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the bank manager, Amin Shahwani.

This was the year’s 15th bank robbery, with three being committed last month alone.

Later, the Special Investigation Unit took the bank staff to the Crime Record Office (CRO) where they recognised two of the suspected bandits as Gulab Shah and Nasir, both hailing from Parachinar, Kurram Agency.

The suspects are stated be involved in several cases of robberies.