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KARACHI: A bank robbery was foiled, a robber was killed and three others all suspected to be members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan were arrested on Thursday when a citizen informed police about their suspicious presence in the bank branch, officials said. The four members of the TTP had targeted the bank to generate funds for the proscribed outfit, they added.
The police said that at around 2.30pm four suspects entered Habib Banks Pathan Colony branch in Aligarh Colony, Orangi Town.
Since the bank was located in the busy commercial neighbourhood, a man noticed the suspects entering the bank, and informed the DSP of Orangi Town as he happened to know him, said the Orangi Town SP.
The four suspects carrying a Beretta, a 9mm and two TT pistols overpowered the two security guards and snatched their weapons.
Two suspects collected the cash from the counter and the strong room while the other two kept watch.
By the time the suspects had gathered the cash and were about to escape, a police party of the Orangi Town police station arrived at the scene and cordoned off the bank.
Seeing the police, the suspects tried to get away and lobbed out two hand grenades, causing injuries to five policemen and damaging four motorcycles parked outside.
The ringleader later identified as Ali Abdullah alias Doctor came out of the bank with a hostage, holding a cash bag in one hand and a pistol pointing to the head of the hostage in the other.
A policeman shot the accused in the face causing him to fall down and setting free the hostage. The firing led to a shootout and the suspects inside the bank started firing at the police, who returned fire.
During the shootout, the other suspect, later identified as Umair, sustained a bullet wound in the torso. However, he succumbed to his wounds in the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
To flush out the suspects, police resorted to tear-gas shelling inside the bank and used 15 to 20 shells, simultaneously using the megaphone calling the suspects to come out and surrender.
With no other option left, the two suspects with other staff members and customers followed the police order to crawl forward on the floor.
With the assistance of the earlier freed hostage, the police singled out the remaining suspects who subsequently surrendered.
The bank employees and customers took the brunt of the tear-gas attack as many of them were gasping for fresh air while rushing out of the bank.
The two suspects were identified as Arman and Atif. Police found a college identity card of Muhammad Atif suggesting that he was a first-year student of the Government Degree Boys, Science/Commerce College Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
SSP Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Raja Umar Khatab told Dawn that Atif had escaped when the SIU raided and arrested the former chief of his own faction Faizur Rehman alias Faizullah on March 19 in Moachko.
In his early 20s, Muhammad Atif was an activist of Jaish-i-Muhammad before becoming a member of the TTP, SSP Khattab added.
Similarly, suspect Umair was a son of the peshimam of the Siddiq-i-Akbar mosque in Sector 11½, Orangi Town, the investigator said.
All the four suspects were in their early or mid-20s and were residents of Orangi Town, police said.
During initial questioning, they told the police that in 2008 they went to North Waziristan for training in militancy.
A similar bank dacoity was carried out in a Memon Goth bank branch, in which police had claimed that Lashkar-i-Jhangvi was involved.
In April 2009, a similar bank robbery was carried out by Jundullah, the police said.
Police registered an FIR (377/2010) under Sections 392, 397, 427, 435, 324, 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act at the Orangi Town police station on the complaint of the bank manager.
DAWN.COM | Local | ?TTP man? killed, three others held in botched bank robbery
The police said that at around 2.30pm four suspects entered Habib Banks Pathan Colony branch in Aligarh Colony, Orangi Town.
Since the bank was located in the busy commercial neighbourhood, a man noticed the suspects entering the bank, and informed the DSP of Orangi Town as he happened to know him, said the Orangi Town SP.
The four suspects carrying a Beretta, a 9mm and two TT pistols overpowered the two security guards and snatched their weapons.
Two suspects collected the cash from the counter and the strong room while the other two kept watch.
By the time the suspects had gathered the cash and were about to escape, a police party of the Orangi Town police station arrived at the scene and cordoned off the bank.
Seeing the police, the suspects tried to get away and lobbed out two hand grenades, causing injuries to five policemen and damaging four motorcycles parked outside.
The ringleader later identified as Ali Abdullah alias Doctor came out of the bank with a hostage, holding a cash bag in one hand and a pistol pointing to the head of the hostage in the other.
A policeman shot the accused in the face causing him to fall down and setting free the hostage. The firing led to a shootout and the suspects inside the bank started firing at the police, who returned fire.
During the shootout, the other suspect, later identified as Umair, sustained a bullet wound in the torso. However, he succumbed to his wounds in the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.
To flush out the suspects, police resorted to tear-gas shelling inside the bank and used 15 to 20 shells, simultaneously using the megaphone calling the suspects to come out and surrender.
With no other option left, the two suspects with other staff members and customers followed the police order to crawl forward on the floor.
With the assistance of the earlier freed hostage, the police singled out the remaining suspects who subsequently surrendered.
The bank employees and customers took the brunt of the tear-gas attack as many of them were gasping for fresh air while rushing out of the bank.
The two suspects were identified as Arman and Atif. Police found a college identity card of Muhammad Atif suggesting that he was a first-year student of the Government Degree Boys, Science/Commerce College Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
SSP Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Raja Umar Khatab told Dawn that Atif had escaped when the SIU raided and arrested the former chief of his own faction Faizur Rehman alias Faizullah on March 19 in Moachko.
In his early 20s, Muhammad Atif was an activist of Jaish-i-Muhammad before becoming a member of the TTP, SSP Khattab added.
Similarly, suspect Umair was a son of the peshimam of the Siddiq-i-Akbar mosque in Sector 11½, Orangi Town, the investigator said.
All the four suspects were in their early or mid-20s and were residents of Orangi Town, police said.
During initial questioning, they told the police that in 2008 they went to North Waziristan for training in militancy.
A similar bank dacoity was carried out in a Memon Goth bank branch, in which police had claimed that Lashkar-i-Jhangvi was involved.
In April 2009, a similar bank robbery was carried out by Jundullah, the police said.
Police registered an FIR (377/2010) under Sections 392, 397, 427, 435, 324, 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act at the Orangi Town police station on the complaint of the bank manager.
DAWN.COM | Local | ?TTP man? killed, three others held in botched bank robbery
