Masked gunmen rob over Rs8 million in Karachi bank heist

• Six gunmen rob a private bank in Karachi's Shadman Town area.
• Robbers get away with Rs8.7m in cash, says SSP Junaid Shaikh.
• Sindh Interior minister takes notice, seeks report from Additional IG.

KARACHI: Multiple armed robbers looted a private bank in Karachi's Shadman Town neighbourhood to get away with more than Rs8 million on Wednesday.

Initially, the police said four gunmen carried out the robbery, however, SIU Senior Superintendent Of Police (SSP) Junaid Shaikh later confirmed that six robbers — who came on three motorcycles — got away with Rs8.7 million as the security guard didn't put up much resistance.

The robbers assaulted the bank's security guard and managed to flee with the security guard's weapon with impunity.

"There's a CCTV camera outside the bank [...] We are trying to retrieve the CCTV footage to ascertain the route taken by fleeing robbers," Shaikh said.

"If needed, the bank employees will also be made part of the investigation," the police officer said while apprising that the weapon snatched from the security guard was disposed of by the robbers near the bank.

Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police arrived at the scene with Sindh Caretaker Interior Minister Brig (retd) Haris Nawaz reprimanding the authorities over the lack of police patrolling in the area.

The minister has directed the Additional IG to submit a report on the incident along with the details pertaining to the resistance put up by the bank's security guard.

The metropolitan city has witnessed a significant surge in crime with the number of people killed by robbers in the city this year rising to 104 in the first nine months of 2023, The News reported earlier this month.

Some 60,000 street crime incidents have been reported in the city this year, according to the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), whose figures show that 59,511 such incidents have occurred between January and August 2023.