Man killed in Karachi bank robbery crossfire; security guard taken into custody

KARACHI: A man was killed after a gunfight broke out between armed robbers and a bank security guard near Teen Talwar, Clifton area on Monday, prompting police to detain the guard and launch an investigation.

According to South SSP Mahzoor Ali, the victim, identified as Akash, was travelling with his father and cousin after withdrawing cash from one bank and heading to another. The car was carrying two packets containing Rs2.5 million each.

Police said that as the vehicle stopped near a bank, armed robbers approached from behind. Mistaking the occupants of the car for the suspects, the bank’s security guard opened fire. The robbers returned fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire.

During the incident, the robbers managed to escape with one packet containing Rs2.5 million.

Investigators are yet to determine whether Akash was killed by a bullet fired by the security guard or by the robbers. Police have cordoned off the crime scene, while forensic and investigative teams continue to examine the evidence.

The bank security guard has been taken into custody for questioning as part of the investigation.

Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho took notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the DIG South. He directed authorities to conduct a transparent and comprehensive investigation, establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and ensure the arrest of all those responsible. The victim’s body was later shifted from the hospital to the morgue.

Family demands justice

The family of deceased demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and warned they would stage a sit-in with his body until the suspects were apprehended.

Speaking to the media outside Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, the victim’s uncle, Khem Chand, said Dr Akash was travelling with his father and cousin when he was shot outside a bank. He said the family belonged to the business community and owned a cotton factory in Sukkur, adding that they paid billions of rupees in taxes but had suffered an irreparable loss.

The family urged Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Field Marshal Asim Munir to take immediate notice of the incident, saying that if educated professionals continued to be killed on the streets, people would lose confidence in living and working in the country.