Adil Najam
In what is being described as the biggest bank robbery in Pakistan’s history, more than Rs. 500 Million was looted from a Karachi branch of the Allied Bank. Details are still trickling in and are still sketchy. But it is clear that at least part of this was an inside job. Just how ‘inside’ it was, remains to be determined.
The story has all the elements of thrill, drama, intrigue, and uncertainty that the Pakistan news media thrives on. And thriving it is with this story.
Here are some of the details from an early report in Dawn:
Pakistani and foreign currency worth more than Rs500 million was looted from a private bank branch near I.I. Chundrigar Road on Sunday. Reports suggest that it is the biggest bank robbery in the history of Pakistan. Private security guards hired the bank, are suspected of being involved in the robbery. However, police have recovered some of the looted foreign currency from the house of a police officer who is also under suspicion of involvement in the robbery.
According to police sources, the license of the private security company has already been canceled whose security guards are suspected of being involved in the bank robbery. Police have arrested two accused and further investigation is in progress. It is said that around 80,000 private security guards are hired by various institutions including banks in Pakistan without their proper registration with police.
Here is a video report from Dunya TV:
The report in The News is more juicy and with some more detail:
The biggest robbery of the country’s history of Rs520 million has been carried out in the metropolitan city of Karachi by breaking into the lockers of a private bank. The looted money comprises local and foreign currencies. A bag containing 40,000 British pounds has been recovered from a police official’s house. The family members of the police official had left the bag home which contained foreign currency.
According to police, the bank guards are involved in the bank robbery while raids are being carried out to arrest the other robbers. Police has also taken into custody two bank guards and recovered Rs5 million. The police have claimed to have learned about the whereabouts of the guard mainly involved in the robbery. He has been identified as Shahid Mehmood son of Abdul Majeed, holding NIC issued in Faisalabad. Police have announced a reward of Rs2 million for information leading to the capture of the guard.
Crime, of course, has long been rampant. But recently, bank robberies in Karachi (including ATM robberies) has been on the increase. Here, for example, is footage of another bank robbery in Karachi in April this year:
we (all pakistani including those living in foriegn countries) are already doing nothing for our country accept commenting one another……….n worst would be the case
if people take law in there own hand…it is for sure that v dont need more than bomb blasts …need of an hour is
that patriots (especially those who are capable to serve pakistan at higher official ranks) must come forward and try to revolutionize our law, politics and education and n by education i mean moral as well as academic education of our nation………….plz plz plz its time to design some plans for our country………..
…infact we should not at all be surprised hearing these kind of news!
Our politicians have done much bigger robberies than this, still ruling and trying ways to loot more and more.
I hope even if they find the real culprits behind this particular one, they must be pardoned them under NRO or may be another ordinance.
I wonder if Pakistanis realize how in 1974 homes of “former” Muslims in Pakistan were looted and robbed. Unlike bank account holder of Allied Bank, Karachi, those “former” Muslims in Pakistan never got compensated to this day.
According to the reports that I have read one ASI has been dissmissed, a bank guard was also involved, leader of robbers had probably forged ID. Who knows how many others are involved.