KARACHI, March 11: Three private security guards were shot dead during an armed attack by bandits on their cash van in an Orangi Town area on Monday, police said.

They said that the security guards resisted the robbery attempt to an extent that they laid down their lives and forced nearly one dozen armed men to run away only with Rs400,000 out of around Rs8 million in the cash van.

They said that the cash van of the Phoenix Securities was returning from the Aligarh Market branch of the MCB when around a dozen armed riders intercepted it.

DSP Zahid Hussain Siddiqi said that the van was carrying some Rs8 million. Initially four youngsters on two motorbikes intercepted the van, but when the firing began, their aides on two or three bikes emerged there, he added.

He said that an exchange of gunfire took place between the security guards and the armed men. The intense firing sowed fear and panic in the densely populated neighbourhood.

Witnesses said that they saw people running for cover and traders pulling down shutters.

By the time the guns fell silent, a heavy contingent of police backed by the Rangers reached the scene and found all three guards — Amanullah, Ghulam Muhammad and Irfan Khan — badly wounded.

“The guards were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where they died,” said the area DSP. “The van was later examined and it was found that over Rs400,000 are missing from the total cash that suggested that the bandits managed to take away some cash.”

The bandits were also armed with explosives and while fleeing they threw ‘explosive-packed tennis balls’ to harass people who gathered there.

“The explosion caused injuries to three people, including two children. They were identified as 50-year-old Muhammad Yousuf, 10-year-old Shumail and eight-year-old Rehan,” added DSP Siddiqi.

No case was registered at the Orangi Town police station till late in the night and the officials said that they were gathering facts and collecting evidence before lodging an FIR.

Only on March 8, armed men stormed into a private bank branch in the Defence area and walked off with Rs3.5 million in the year’s fifth bank heist.

In 2012 total 22 bank robberies took place and in most the cases suspects are still at large.