Reports of a well-orchestrated bank heist have yet again hit the headlines with the latest theft of an unknown amount of money running into millions of shillings at Habib Bank in Nairobi.
The thugs made way into the bank situated along Koinange Street undetected over the weekend. They got into the bank through the rear door at an unknown time and proceeded to the second floor of the building and disabled the alarm and the CCTV surveillance Cameras and later proceeded to the banking area.
The heist was not discovered until Monday morning when staff arrived and discovered the enormous damage to the safes.
According to police, the robbers took their time to execute their plan. They say they could have taken up to 24 hours.
However, they were unable to access the strong-room after running out of gas. Nairobi County Police Commander Joseph Ole Tito said the strong-room Sh41 million that was left intact.
The robbers left behind a torch and the gas cylinders and food remnants among them chips, chicken, beef, githeri and rice.
Tito added that the robbers used opaque papers to papers to block the bank’s tinted glass windows so that security guards could not see what was happening.
“This was well-planned and executed and an easy job for the criminals,” said Tito according to the Star.
“They took their time because we have found food leftovers meaning they even had the time to eat inside the bank. They have really done a lot of destruction inside there, but they did not manage to get into the strong room,” he added according to Daily Nation.
He termed it as an inside job. “This must be an inside job, by people who knew how to access the bank through the rear gate, the location of the CCTV cameras, the alarm, the safes and the strong room.”
The county police commander had been accompanied by Nairobi County DCI boss Ireri Kamwende and Central Police Station OCPD Robinson Thuku.
He said the bank was still reconciling its books to determine the amount stolen.
For the better part of the better of the day, clients were not allowed into the bank. They were asked to go to Westlands and Industrial area branches.