Man arrested 15 hours after robbing bank

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) apprehended a bank robber just 15 hours after he staged a heist at the Oman Arab Bank's (OAB) Ma'awaleh branch, late on Monday afternoon.

"The accused was trying to flee the country by road but fell in the police trap," a ROP public relations officer told Gulf News yesterday.

It is learnt that the accused, identified as A.M.M., went to the branch after banking hours on the pretext of meeting an employee. He then pulled a mask over his face before threatening the staff with his gun.

The bespectacled robber then decamped with RO15,000 from the bank in a waiting car. "He was on his own and had no accomplice," the police spokesperson said.

According to the sources, it was a desperate act by the man in his late 40s as he was neck deep in debt. However, there was no further comment on the case from the police, who have presented the case to the public prosecutor for further action.

Ma'awaleh is about 50km from the main Muscat town and has a wholesale vegetable market where vendors from Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries come in their trucks to sell their products.

Most use this Oman Arab Bank branch to transfer cash to their respective countries. It is believed that the gun-wielding robber first threatened the cashier and collected some cash from his safe‚ before demanding for more.

According to the OAB sources, the stolen cash was numbered.

The ROP alerted all the exit points in the country and the robber was held at the border. "The amount and the weapon were also recovered from his (accused) car," said a ROP spokesman.

The ROP has appealed to all the residents to report to the police about any crime they witness or come to know so that swift action can be taken. "Timely intimation of a crime committed will help the ROP resolve the case promptly," a ROP statement said.