Karachi Banks Face Two Consecutive Heists

Banks in Karachi are continuously being targeted for robbery. Two consecutive robberies were reported in two days.

On Wednesday the Al Baraka Bank, in Kharadar Area was looted by five masked men. Rs 600,000 were reported stolen from the bank. The robbers snatched the pistols from the guards and fled the scene without facing any resistance. The surveillance cameras were of no help as the robbers had their faces covered.

A day before the Al Baraka Bank was looted, a branch of United Bank Ltd on Shahrah-i-Quaideen, was robbed. When the bank manager – also a father of three – tried to resist, he was shot dead. The bank faced a loss of Rs 400,000.

Security Audits For All Banks

Chief Minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah ordered a security audit of all banks saying,

Banks around the city are being robbed for the past two days and yet the police has taken no action. What is the police’s intelligence network doing?

Provincial police chief has ordered a report on the matter and police officials held responsible for negligence have been suspended.

What Really Needs to be Done

The city has been targeted by 9 robberies since the year started, with four robberies reported in the past month.

While conventional measures have been taken by the authority to deal with the matter, what is really needed is to break the convention.

The guards in banks are often ill trained and not prepared to deal with any sort of situation that may occur. The bank management should ensure that their guards are well trained and that they follow standard operating procedures.

However, it goes without saying that protection of banks lies under the duties of police officers. The police should take responsibility of preventing any such situation.

The Counter-Terrorism Department assist in tracking down the gangs involved in such crimes so they can be put to justice.

Via Dawn