KARACHI Robbers on Monday looted Rs 9.7 million in separate bank heists in the metropolis. In the first incident, three armed men forced their way into a private banks branch in Block-N North Nazimabad within the precincts of Taimuria Police Station and held the staffers hostage. They managed to escape the scene unharmed after committing the crime along with Rs 1.7 million in cash. Police said the criminals took just three minutes for the broad daylight robbery. Station House Officer (SHO) Chaudhry Irshad said the culprits acted in a very 'very professional manner. They also took away the weapon of the security guard, Naik Mohammad, deputed at the bank, he added. It is said that the CCTV video footage would prove helpful to the investigators. The initial investigation reveals that out of the five bandits, three entered into the premises of the bank while remaining two stayed outside. Police have registered an FIR No 654\\10 against the unidentified culprits on the complaint of the bank manager, Shabbir. In another incident, Asim, the cashier of a private cellular phone company franchise, was deprived of around Rs 8 million when he along with his accountant Adnan, Mohammad Ali (cashier) and Ghulam Rasool (driver) were robbed when they reached a private bank branch in Dhoraji, situated at Mohammad Ali Society Bahadurabad, to deposit cash. According to details, two armed bike riders wearing helmets intercepted them before they could deposit the cash and snatched away the bag containing the money. Police while quoting the manager of the franchise said around Rs 8.0 million had been looted. An FIR No 205/10 has been registered on the complaint of the manager against the criminals.