Armed robbers fled with thousands of dinars from Ahli United Bank in Bahrain yesterday (November 16), 17 hours after a money exchange company was targeted in a hold-up during which a security guard was shot three times.

The unidentified individuals raided the bank's Budaiya branch at gunpoint at 12.30pm while customers were still inside the facility, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

No-one was injured in the attack, but sources at the scene told the GDN the robbers took off with more than BD10,000 ($25,974) from the tellers and a customer.

Police launched a manhunt and cordoned off the area in Meqsha, placing checkpoints along the Budaiya Highway.

Forensic teams were seen dusting the scene for fingerprints, collecting evidence and recording testimonies of employees.

A Bahraini woman, who was inside the bank at the time of the robbery, told the GDN she saw a masked assailant carry out the robbery.

"I saw a tall man dressed all in black and wearing a black mask with a gun in his hand walking towards the reception area," said the woman, aged in her 20s.

"Everyone thought he was a policeman and we started to get worried and wondered why a policeman was in the bank.

"I noticed that he had a big black duffel bag in his hand and then we all realised he was robbing the bank in broad daylight.

"He didn't say a word and was very cool, while all the people in the bank were terrified and screaming.

"A nearby Bahraini shopkeeper chased after him, but he fled in a getaway vehicle parked nearby."

Bank officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Meanwhile, police are still tracking down two men involved in the attempted armed robbery of Bahrain Financing Company's (BFC) Salmabad branch on Saturday night, in which a Nepalese security guard was shot three times in his right leg.

The man was taken to BDF Hospital, where he is said to be in stable condition.

"Preliminary information indicated that two masked robbers had carried out the armed attack," said an official from the ministry's Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science.

"When the security guard resisted the robbers, they shot him and fled the scene.

A BFC official told the GDN yesterday that the company was reviewing its security measures following the attack.

"We are looking at all possible options at this stage which includes having special entrance doors, increasing security guards and additional CCTV cameras in every branch located in different parts of the country," he said.

"Security measures will be reviewed."

He confirmed that the security guard, who worked for a private company, was in stable condition.

"The incident happened between 6.45pm and 6.55pm on Saturday night when a robbery attempt was made at our Salmabad branch during which the security guard sustained gunshot wounds," he added.

"The video footage of the crime has been shared with police and they are now analysing it to catch the culprits."

The branch was shut down yesterday. - TradeArabia News Service