Karachi DHA Robbery: Rs25 Million Recovered in Snatching Case

The Karachi DHA robbery case took an unexpected turn on Thursday, when police recovered Rs25 million and detained the accountant who had himself reported the snatching.

Mohammed Hanif Metlo had told Gizri police that two armed men snatched a bag containing Rs37.5 million from him in the DHA area. The report became the starting point of the Karachi DHA robbery investigation.

He works as an accountant for a Chinese organic meat company based in Korangi. The DIG identified the complainant by name while briefing the media about the case on Thursday.

By Thursday evening, police had arrested one suspect in the case. South DIG Syed Asad Raza said Rs25 million had been recovered from the held suspect later in the evening.

Senior officers then revealed the twist at the heart of the Karachi DHA robbery case. The man who had reported the robbery was himself suspected of involvement, and he was detained for questioning.

Karachi DHA robbery: what the complainant told police

Metlo told police he was travelling along Khayaban-i-Bahria, near Sultan Masjid, when the incident happened. Two armed men riding a motorcycle intercepted him there, according to his report to Gizri police.

The men allegedly snatched his satchel and fled from the scene. The bag had been placed on the rear carrier of his motorcycle, the DIG said.

His destination was DHA Phase VII, where he was heading when he was reportedly intercepted. The amount in the bag was Rs37.5 million, according to the report he filed.

How the reported snatching unfolded

The sequence described by police begins on I.I. Chundrigar Road, the city's main banking and business district. The accountant withdrew cheques worth Rs37.5 million there before setting off towards DHA.

He travelled by motorcycle, with the cash satchel placed on the rear carrier. Near Sultan Masjid on Khayaban-i-Bahria, two armed men on a motorcycle allegedly stopped him.

The bag was snatched and the men fled, according to the complaint. Metlo then reported the matter to Gizri police, whose jurisdiction covers the area where the incident was reported.

The response came within hours. By Thursday evening, one suspect had been arrested, Rs25 million had been recovered from him, and the complainant himself was in detention for questioning.

Why police turned their attention to the accountant

The Karachi DHA robbery investigation changed direction as officers examined the complainant's account of events. Preliminary findings began to point towards the accountant himself, the DIG told reporters.

He said preliminary investigations suggested that Metlo himself was involved in the incident. He added that the alleged robbers were purportedly the accountant's own henchmen.

The employee was detained for questioning by Gizri police. The arrested suspect, from whom the Rs25 million was recovered, has also been held in connection with the case.

Police say the Karachi DHA robbery investigation is continuing. The suspicion of an inside hand has become the central line of inquiry for detectives.

Cash transfers and a worrying pattern in Gizri

The DIG said the Karachi DHA robbery raised serious concerns about the security of cash transfers. In this case, a single employee was carrying Rs37.5 million in a satchel on a motorcycle, with no security escort mentioned in the police account.

It was also the second reported robbery involving Chinese nationals in the same police area. The first such incident had been reported within the jurisdiction of Gizri police about a month earlier, the DIG said.

The two cases have put a spotlight on how businesses move money around the city. They have also raised questions about the checks applied when individual employees handle very large sums of cash.

What happens next in the case

Investigators are working through the sequence of events described by the accountant. They are examining the withdrawal of the cheques, the journey towards DHA Phase VII and the claimed interception near Sultan Masjid.

The focus of the Karachi DHA robbery probe now rests on the accounts given by the men in custody. Police will need to establish where the remainder of the reported amount has gone.

Any allegation of a staged robbery will ultimately have to be tested through the legal process. For now, police describe the accountant's suspected involvement as a preliminary finding, not a proven fact.

Karachi DHA robbery: common questions

What is the Karachi DHA robbery case about?

An accountant reported that two armed men snatched Rs37.5 million from him in DHA on Thursday. Police later recovered Rs25 million, arrested a suspect, and detained the accountant himself on suspicion of involvement.

Who is Mohammed Hanif Metlo?

He is an accountant employed by a Chinese organic meat company based in Korangi. He reported the Karachi DHA robbery to Gizri police and was later detained for questioning by the same police.

How much money has been recovered so far?

South DIG Syed Asad Raza said Rs25 million was recovered from an arrested suspect on Thursday evening. The recovery accounts for two thirds of the Rs37.5 million reported snatched in the Karachi DHA robbery.

Why did police detain the complainant?

The DIG said preliminary investigations suggested the accountant himself was involved in the reported snatching. He said the alleged robbers were purportedly the accountant's henchmen, and the accountant was detained for questioning.

Where did the reported snatching happen?

Metlo told police he was intercepted on Khayaban-i-Bahria, near Sultan Masjid, while travelling towards DHA Phase VII. He had withdrawn the money against cheques from I.I. Chundrigar Road earlier that day, and the area falls within the jurisdiction of Gizri police.

Has there been a similar case in the same area?

Yes. The DIG said the Karachi DHA robbery was the second reported robbery involving Chinese nationals in the Gizri police area, and that the first was reported about a month earlier.