KARACHI, Feb 22: Armed men stormed into a private bank branch in the Defence area, held the staff at gunpoint and walked off with Rs2.5 million in the fourth bank heist during the first two months of the current year on Friday.

Police said that four robbers entered the Soneri Bank branch located at Khayaban-i-Ittehad within the remit of the Darakhshan police station, overpowered two security guards and collected cash from counters and the bank’s strong room.

It took the bandits just a few minutes to complete their swift operation. They escaped along with the looted money, a rifle of one of the guards and the digital video recorder.

The police were not sure whether the robbers used motorcycles or a car for their escape.

An FIR pertaining to the bank heist was yet to be lodged at the Darakhshan police station.

It was the year’s fourth bank robbery. In 2012, armed robbers looted 22 branches of different banks, mostly private, in the city.