An armed bank robber who 'mocked' staff and customers as he fled with BD13,000 ($34,249) has been jailed for 20 years.

Bahraini Nabeel Khan Haji was found guilty of theft, assault and possessing an unlicensed weapon by the High Criminal Court yesterday (April 1), said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The 24-year-old, who worked for the Special Security Forces Command, was also fined BD950 in connection with the November 16 heist at Ahli United Bank in Meqsha.

Security cameras filmed the masked robber as he held customers, staff and a bank security guard at gun-point and ordered them to drop their mobile phones, before smashing a glass partition at the tellers' desk with a hammer.

He also forced the employees to help him put the stacks of cash in a black bag, according to court documents.

He stopped on his way out and bid farewell to his victims, saying 'masalama' (goodbye) in Arabic and 'bye' in English.

Haji was arrested around five hours after the robbery as he tried to leave the country across the King Fahad Causeway. His accomplice Rustum Mirzarin, a 29-year-old Pakistani policeman, who helped stash the stolen money and the 6.35mm pistol used in the hold up was also arrested on the same day.

He was jailed for five years yesterday for aiding and abetting the robbery, and will be deported after completing his sentence.

“The defendant who committed the robbery at Ahli United Bank used a 6.35mm pistol and a hammer,” read court verdict documents.

“Security cameras at the bank filmed the robbery and he admitted that it was him in the video footage.

“The court found him and his accomplice guilty of the charges based on their confessions and evidence provided by the prosecution.”

Both men were also convicted of possessing a weapon and ammunition without a licence, and were present in the courtroom yesterday for the ruling.

Haji was sentenced to 15 years for the robbery, and an additional five years for weapon possession.

He earlier told prosecutors that he had a BD24,000 loan and committed the robbery to pay it off.

He said he targeted the bank because it was located near a police checkpoint where he was stationed.

The defendant also claimed that he found the pistol in Meqsha while he was on patrol following riots.

The robbery was one of three that took place within the space of a few days.

It followed an incident on November 15 when armed gunmen fled empty handed after targeting the Bahrain Financing Company's Salmabad branch.

The attempted robbery left Nepalese security guard Kumar Gurung with gunshot wounds.

Another theft took place on November 10 when more than BD10,000 was stolen from an ATM belonging to BMI Bank in Tubli. - TradeArabia News Service