Gunmen rob bank in Unity State ARTICLECOMMENTS (30) EmailPrintSave
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich April 4, 2011 (BENTIU) – A group of burglars on Sunday broke into Ivory Bank’s branch in the Unity State’s capital Bentiu and stole more than a million Sudanese pounds, in the second case of bank robbery in south Sudan this week. Soldiers of South Sudan Army (FILE PHOTO) Guards at Ivory Bank told investigators on Monday that the 15-member gang members surrounded the bank around 2:00 am local time and strapped the them to an electricity pole before blindfolding them at gun point. An investigation carried out the next day by the state security legal department had concluded that the stolen amount stands at 1.12 million Sudanese pounds (428.953.06 US dollars). The burglars are said to have exchanged heavy gunfire with a group of security men who spotted them on the road of Bentiu secondary school and opposite to the assembly office of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the ruling party in south Sudan. Gideon Gatpan Thaor, the official Spokesman of the Unity State government, suggested that suspicion is revolving around “army groups”, adding that those involved in this criminal act would be brought to justice. However, he noted that there was yet no official report from security forces on the origin of the gang. Security officials promised to hunt down the burglars and reach their hideouts, saying that a satisfactory report would be submitted soon as possible. Sources told Sudan Tribune that three policemen hired by the bank to protect the bank are now under arrest on suspicion of being involved in the robbery. One of the relatives of the arrested policemen, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune that security authorities had ignored earlier reports on active armed groups and were now trying to put the blame on innocent policemen. A day before on Saturday a group of burglars broke into the premises of the Sudanese Agricultural Bank in Juba and stole 1,628,450 Sudanese pounds in addition to 1,300 US dollars, as reported by South Sudan radio. South Sudan has been hit by a wave of insecurity and army defections since it voted to secede from the north in a referendum held in January. The region is due to declare official independence when the peace deal it signed with the north to end more than two decades of civil wars expires in July. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
