KARACHI: Police on Friday launched an investigation into a Rs20 million robbery that took place on Thursday when armed muggers shot dead a security guard and looted the cash from a bank vehicle.

Four armed men riding two motorbikes had shot dead a security guard and looted over Rs20m from a vehicle minutes after they drew the cash from a private bank branch at the railway parking area on I.I.Chundrigar Road.

City SSP Arif Aziz said police had launched investigation, although it was the jurisdiction of the railway police but their officials refused to entertain the complainant partly by citing lack of resources.

He said that the vehicle belonging to a local builder drew the cash from a private bank on Sharea Faisal and was supposed to submit the same at another private bank on I.I. Chundrigar Road. When the vehicle entered the railway parking area, four suspects snatched cash from them and on resistance, shot dead the private security guard. The killed guard was around 70 years old.

The complainant claimed that they were carrying the cash as they were supposed to make payment pertaining to purchase of the property to someone, the officer said and added that one railway policeman was present there but he did not resist and fled from the spot.

The SSP said they were probing the case from several aspects.

The senior officer also wondered as to why that much cash was being transferred without informing the police. He said that they would seek CCTV footage not only of the crime scene but the bank and routes as well from where the cash was drawn as it appeared that the suspects were chasing them.

According to the contents of the FIR registered at Mithadar police station, complainant Bilal Hanif said that he worked with an owner of Al-Karim Heights, identified as Faizan, at their office located in Saddar for the last 10 years as an outdoor employee.

He said that on Thursday, at around 3pm, company employee Abdul Samad asked him to draw cash from a local bank on Sharea Faisal. He was accompanied by two security guards, namely Rao Iqbal and Gul Zamir and Abdul Samad. He drew Rs20,327000 cash from the bank’s branch from Fortune Centre on Sharea Faisal.

They were coming to their office in Saddar in a vehicle when Abdul Samad informed them that the owner Faizan had directed him to deposit the cash at another local bank’s branch. The complainant said that at around 5:45pm, they reached the railway parking area when four suspects riding two motorcycles snatched a bag containing the said cash from Abdul Samad at gunpoint.

The suspects also resorted to firing, resulting in bullet wounds to guard Gul Zamir. They took the wounded guard to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment but he died.

Suspect shot dead by citizen

A suspected robber was shot dead and another wounded by a car driver in Gulistan-i-Jauhar in the small hours of Friday, police said.

Area SHO Pir Shabbir Haider said that the incident took place near Munawwar Chowrangi and it appeared that the suspects tried to rob the car driver who opened fire on them and sped away.

The SHO said that CCTV footage obtained from the spot showed that a mob gathered there and subjected the wounded suspects to beating.

A police patrol arrived at the scene, dispersed the mob and shifted the wounded to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors declared one of them dead.

His identity could not be ascertained till late in the night. However, his accomplice was identified as Yusuf.

The officer said that no weapon was recovered from their custody.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2024