Main culprit of bank heists arrested

KARACHI - Capital City Police Office (CCPO) Karachi Waseem Ahmed on Friday claimed that the Police have arrested the prime suspect of the countrys biggest bank heist, along with his two alleged accomplices and recovered 40 percent of the looted amount from their possession. He disclosed that while addressing a Press Conference at Central Police Office (CPO) here in the City. The CCPO said that the mastermind of the robbery, Hamid Ali, had been apprehended along with his two accomplices - Iqbal and Laiq, adding that although recovered amount was only 40 percent the City Police started strict vigilance of all entry and exit points in the City. He pointed out that it was a six member group and so far three of them had been arrested while their three accomplices belonged to their sub-group were holed up in somewhere in the metropolis and the police were conducting raids to arrest them. He said that the Police, on a tip-off, raided a house in Gulistan-e-Johar and arrested the main accused of the largest bank robbery along with two accomplices, adding that Rs120 million, weapons, gas cutters, fake SIM cards and 24 identity cards had also been recovered from their possession. The CCPO did not ruled out the possibility of link of any terrorist outfits in the robbery. We have arrested them between Thursday and Friday night and the initial investigation suggests that the stolen money could not be used to fund terrorists activities, he elaborated. It is pertinent to mention that the security guard of a private security company, Hamid Ali, deputed at Allied Bank II Chundrigar Road branch on Sunday in connivance with his accomplices committed the biggest bank robbery in the countrys history and made with Rs311.2 million. Hamid Ali, the prime suspect of the robbery had used Shahid Mehmoods CNIC to get employed by the security company. Mehmood is a resident of Qayyumabad area and runs a canteen there and as per his recorded statement, his CNIC had been missing since February, which was used by the mastermind behind the robbery. Hamid Ali was a security guard of a private security company named SPS where he was working from the last one year and was deputed at the bank branch from the last two months. The guard was given uniform without adequate training and posted with a weapon at such a sensitive location, the CCPO said. He said that private security firms were ill equipped and did not follow the rules and regulations. There are about 60, 000 guards working in the City and the Police have started strict verification of all guard to avert such incidents in the future, he disclosed. On the occasion, the CCPO, on the behalf of ABL authorities, announced 5 percent of the recovered booty as reward who arrested the culprits. About the banks security system, the CCPO said that the robbery took place due to failure of the banks security system. Bank has outsourced their Security System and bank is responsible to check and upgrade their systems. In the time of dacoity the security system of bank was destabilized. He said that the five people including two security guards, Zamir and Imran, who were bound while the robbery took place; Imrans friend, a dismissed ASI Aqeel Abbas; the bank watchman Riaz; and Shahid Mehmood, detained by the investigators are also being questioned and they would be released if they found innocent. Waseem Ahmed further said that Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza and the Sindh IGP had announced rewards and promotions for the team arrested the criminals. East Zone DIG Abdul Khaliq Sheikh and other senior police officers along with Allied Bank Limited top official Aftab Manzoor were also presented on the occasion.