Armed robbers grab Sh1bn at Stanbic bank

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Stanbic Bank headquarters along Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road, Kinondoni District in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | FILE 

By  The Citizen Reporter

Posted  Friday, October 24  2014 at  07:41

In Summary

• Suspects have been locked up at the Oysterbay Police Station as investigations continued to unravel the truth in the robbery that is being seen as an inside job.
• Eye witnesses said they saw them load what appeared like cartons into a car that sped away

Dar es Salaam. Nine employees of Stanbic Bank in Dar es Salaam were arrested yesterday evening as the police moved in to investigate a walk-in robbery in which over Sh1 billion was reportedly carted away by armed suspects.

The nine employees were among 13 people in custody over the heist at the bank’s Mayfair Plaza Branch along Mwai Kibaki Road.

Kinondoni Regional Police Commander, Mr Camillius Wambura, told The Citizen that the other four suspects included a watchman and certain three individuals whose identities he declined to reveal.

Mr Wambura said all of the suspects have been locked up at the Oysterbay Police Station as investigations continued to unravel the truth in the robbery that is being seen as an inside job.

Mr Wambura led a team of uniformed and plainclothes police officers in combing the area and inspecting the banking hall for clues of what might have transpired.

According to Mr Wambura, the police would release the official figure of the actual amount of money stolen once their investigation was completed.

“Today we cannot say with finality how much money has been stolen as everyone interrogated is giving a different figure,” he told The Citizen in a telephone interview.

However, a credible source within the bank confided to this paper that officials involved in the investigation had by late afternoon established up to Sh1.0943 billion was missing.

The source who requested that we don’t publish his name for fear of retribution and the fact that he was not allowed to speak to the media, said the robbers stole mixed currencies in the incident that occurred at about 11am.

According to the source, the amount missing included euros 260,000 (Sh598 million), $175,000 (Sh280,000), Sh216 million and 190 pounds (Sh380,000). Sh30 million- part of the local currency--was taken from the bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

Unconfirmed reports say several customers who were in the bank were also frisked.

No one was injured and not a single bullet was fired in the entire operation that lasted about 30 minutes, according employees.