SHEIKHUPURA: Gold worth Rs58m looted from bank
SHEIKHUPURA, Nov 29: Dacoits took away gold ornaments worth Rs58 million from the main branch of Punjab Provincial Cooperatives Bank after killing the guard on Monday morning.
Branch Manager Touqir Ahmad Babar told Dawn that security guard Muhammad Ishaq was present in the branch on Sunday night. When staffers came to the bank on Monday morning, they found the main gate locked. On opening the lock, Ishaq was also found slaughtered. Second guard Azam Khan, a resident of Tribal Area, is missing.
The bank had launched its gold loan policy this year and 458 customers had got loans against their ornaments so far, the manager said. He said according to a rough estimate, ornaments weighing 65,640 grams were looted.
He said the main door of the strong room was cut with gas cutters. B-Division police have registered a case against the absconding guard and robbers. Meanwhile, the APP said the ornaments amounted to Rs50 million.
TRAFFIC SUSPENDED: The traffic on Lahore Road, some 12km away from here, has been thrown out of gear since 3pm on Monday after a trailer overturned in the middle of the road.
No efforts to remove the trailer from the site were made by the authorities concerned even several hours after the incident. Long queues of vehicles coming to Sheikhupura or going to Lahore could be seen on the road blocked by the trailer. However, the authorities concerned were busy in arranging a crane.