Armed gang robs bank of Rs11m in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: An armed gang on Monday stormed a commercial bank, injuring a security guard before fleeing with over Rs11 million in broad daylight.

Manager of the Muslim Commercial Bank, Muhammad Faheem, told police that seven robbers arrived at the bank situated in Pabbi in a white car. They forced their way inside the bank by beating the security guard, leaving him injured who was later shifted to a hospital in Peshawar for treatment.

Four of the robbers entered the bank while three stood standby on the gate. The robbers collected money from the cash counter after taking the staff hostage at gunpoint. After the robbery, four robbers escaped in the car parked outside the bank while the remaining fled on motorbikes.

They also took away CCTV cameras installed in and outside the bank along with computer devices. Eyewitnesses said they tried to call station house officer in Pabbi on his cellphone but the call went unanswered.

One of the witnesses, who did not want to disclose his name, said robbers remained for about 20 minutes in the bank but there was no sign of police anywhere. "The police could have prevented the robbery had they acted promptly but the robbers fled before the cops could arrive at the scene," he added. One witness also reported the presence of a cash-collecting security vehicle with armed security personnel outside the bank during the robbery. They fled away when they realized what was going on inside the bank.

District Police Officer Mansoor Aman visited the bank in the busy market along with the Crime Scene Unit of the police which cordoned off the crime scene and started collecting evidence. The police launched a search operation and set up checkpoints on all the roads leading to and out of Pabbi after reports emerged that robbers had escaped towards Peshawar.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mardan Range, Mohammad Ali Gandapur flanked by DPO and DSP Nowshera told a press conference that the first information report of the crime had been registered and an investigation was underway.