Meezan Bank heist suspect arrested

Karachi
Police have arrested a man suspected of involvement of bank heists, including the breaking of lockers at the Meezan Bank branch near Disco Bakery in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
Special Investigation Unit Karachi SSP Mohammed Farooq Awan said on Saturday thatafter being tipped off by an informer, police conducted a raid in Saddar and after an encounter, arrested Khalil Bangash.
During interrogation, Bangash told police that on the night of May 23, 2015, he, along with his associates Sardar Safeer Iqbal, bank security guard Nawaz Gul, Hassan, Naseebullah, Peer Iqbal, Ali and Pir Mohammed Peru, broke into the Meezan Bank branch near Disco Bakery in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
They took a gas welding machine with them and broke open 102 lockers from which they looted jewellery, prize bonds, dollars and rupees.
After the robbery, the bought a Prado four-wheel drive vehicle and left for Peshawar with the loot.
The gang leader, Sardar Safeer, went to the tribal areas where he sold the looted items for Rs72 million, which was distributed among the members. Bangash received a share of Rs6 million.
The SSP said the members of the gang were earlier arrested by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police in Nowshehra for bank robberies but were granted bail.
The security guard, Nawab Gul, is a resident of Parachinar.
Bangash is a resident of Hayatabad, Peshawar and also runs a real estate agency.
During the raid in Saddar, police found Rs2.7 million of the looted money. Bangash had paid the rest of the money in loans.
Before his arrest, Bangash had visited Karachi for the release of his associate, Naseebullah, who was earlier arrested in the same case.
The SSP said that further investigations and raids
were under way to arrest the remaining members of the gang.