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Man robbed of millions inside StanChart Bank
2006-03-07 09:14:09
By Ikunda Erick
Four armed gangsters strolled into a Standard Chartered Bank branch in Dar es Salaam and casually walked away with an unspecified amount of cash, three minutes later, in one of the shortest and bizarre incidents involving armed robbery in the country.
But as the bank began mulling the legal implication of the theft, a major controversy was brewing regarding the exact amount of money as the bank appeared to deny liability, saying the money was not in its custody, neither had it been verified.
The mid-morning robbery at Standard Chartered Bank, Life House Branch involved a customer who was preparing to deposit money when he was accosted by the gun-totting thugs, who ordered other bank customers to lie down before grabbing the money.
Responding to inquiries about the amount of the money and the identity of the customer who lost the money, Standard Chartered Bank Corporate Affairs Manager, Juanitha Mramba, was cagey, only saying that it was too early for the bank to accept liability or provide the name of the customer.
Eyewitnesses inside the bank said that, as the customer was prepared to hand the money over the bank teller the robbers pounced as they barked orders to everyone in the banking hall to lie on the floor.
Outside the bank, eyewitnesses said the robbers arrived in a saloon car, which they also used to get away after the robbery.
They said the casual manner in which the robbery took place did not attract any suspicion or attention and it was impossible for anyone outside the bank to know that a robbery was going on inside the bank.
The security guards outside the bank realised there had been a robbery long after the gangsters had made a clean escape.
Yesterday’s robbery puts to the test President Jakaya Kikwete’s directive that all banks and other financial institutions be guarded by armed police officers.
Asked to comment on the implementation of the directive Mramba, said: ’’It is very unfortunate that this incident happened when we are almost concluding an agreement with police to deploy armed officers at all our branches countrywide.’’
In a telephone interview, the official said talks between the bank and police force were going on, and later this month, the bank will get the services of armed police.
She, however, declined to divulge the name of the customer, whose money was stolen, saying: ’’I am not ready to say anything because the matter is still under police investigation.’’
Director of Criminal Investigations Robert Manumba confirmed the robbery saying the amount grabbed was huge.
Manumba, Dar es Salaam Zonal Commander, Alfred Tibaigana and the head of the crack paramilitary Field Force Unit (FFU) Boniface Tossi, were among the senior police officers who arrived at the scene soon after receiving news of the robbery.
Manumba said, Ultimate Security guards had escorted the robbed customer to the bank.
The Ultimate Security guards, pursued the robbers in their vehicles, but their efforts were futile, as the gangsters had already disappeared into the labyrinthine streets around the scene of robbery.
Eleven security guards from the company were being held at the Central Police Station for questioning.
However, the police did not specify if the action was related to suspicions of their complicity in the theft of the cash.
Neither did the police give a clue about their line of investigation that is, whether they suspect it was an inside job or a plain robbery.
During the robbery, the bank did not lose any property or money.
Commenting on the incident, Manumba said that the amount of money stolen was too big and information had been dispatched to various police stations around the city and country to track down the gangsters.
Business at the bank came to a standstill for most of the morning as customers were either turned away or advised to go for services at other branches.
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