KARACHI – Five men equipped with weapons robbed a private bank in Jodia Bazaar of Rs 9.85 million with the help of the bank’s security guard early Thursday morning, the Kharadar Police said.
According to Kharadar Police Sub-Inspector Ghulam Ishaq, five men entered the Jodia Bazaar branch of the Muslim Commercial Bank at 6:30 am on Thursday with the help of the bank’s security guard, Muhammad Anwar, who was deployed there by Mastan Security.
The robbers held the bank staff hostage as they arrived at work and waited for Operations Manager Saboor Ali, after whose arrival, they forced him to unlock the lockers and cash counters.
After stealing Rs 9.85 million from the bank, the robbers escaped from the scene on two motorcycles, bearing registration Nos KDR-1080 and KEP-2177, belonging to the bank staff.
Police have obtained closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footages of the crime scene from the bank, whereas the security personnel of the night shift were also called in for interrogation.
According to the guards’ statement, the accused security guard, Muhammad Anwar, arrived at the bank at 6:30 am.
He told the night-shift guards that the other morning-shift guards would be arriving shortly, so they could leave for home.
According to Kharadar Police Station House Officer Ghulam Nabi Afridi, the CCTV camera footages of the crime scene showed that the heist was carried out by six men, including the bank’s security guard.
The robbers disconnected the bank’s phone lines, held the bank staff hostage, snatched their mobile phones and other communication devices, and locked them in a small room.
The security guard and his five accomplices were talking with each other in the Punjabi language.
According to Mastan Security’s records, the security guard belongs to the Chakwal District of the Punjab province.
Police suspect that the guards’ accomplices might also hail from Chakwal. They have registered First Information Report No 168/11 under Section 395/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code against Muhammad Anwar and his five unidentified accomplices.
