Equity Bank Ang’awa Branch in Kisumu was on Tuesday 23rd November the target of a second robbéry in six years. Police officers engaged the suspected robbérs for hours in a dramatic shootóut. A bank manager, several staff and some customers were Tuesday evening questioned by police over the attempted robbéry.
The dramatic events began at around 11am when four suspected robbérs ráided the bank premises along Ang’awa Avenue. From police reports, one of the suspécts who had been cornered inside the bank hurled téargas inside, which sent people running for dear lives.
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At the end, all the robbérs who staged a héist at the Equity Bank Ang’awa branch escaped and the police called off the operation. Police suspéct the robbérs might have disguised themselves as customers to escape.
Here is breakdown of how the Equity Bank attempted robbéry occurred:
- 11am at least four arméd robbérs gain entry into Equity Bank, Ang’awa Avenue branch in Kisumu.
- Shortly after, they throw a téargas canister on the floor, forcing some of the clients and staff members to run out.
- Eyewitnesses file a suspected robbéry report minutes to 11:30am.
- At 11:30am, the first contingent of police officers arrive in four vehicles.
- Minutes later, Nyanza Regional Police Commander Karanja Muiruri arrives at the scene.
- At noon, more police officers are deployed to the scene, with the total number of officers in operation rising to 30.
- Around that time, Ang’awa Avenue is cordoned off and declared an active crimé scene.
- A firefighting vehicle is brought to the scene to help neutralise the effect of the téargas that the suspected robbérs are hurling while still holed up in the hall.
- 12:30pm, police term the operation as “delicate”, saying firing at the suspected robbers could risk the lives of clients locked up in the hall.
- Police claim the suspected robbers are hitting back by firing téargas canisters and live bulléts.
- 12:45pm, police say they suspéct some of the robbérs are hiding inside the bank’s toilet.
- At 12:50pm, police say they are waiting to be given the bank’s architectural plan before attacking the robbérs.
- At 1pm, police gain access to the bank’s ground and first floors.
- After a four-and-a-half-hour siége at Equity Bank police end the siége at the facility at 3pm, saying they suspéct the robbérs disguised themselves as clients and left during évacuation.
