Police in Peshawar have arrested three members of an alleged bank robbery network, including an Afghan national, in connection with recent robberies targeting banks on Inqilab Road and in the Michni Gate area, investigators said on Tuesday.
According to investigators, the group consisted of five operational members, while two additional individuals allegedly assisted in planning and logistical coordination for the robberies.
Authorities claimed the suspects had links to a banned terrorist organisation and revealed that members of the gang had received terrorist training before carrying out the robberies. One suspect had reportedly travelled to Afghanistan four times, raising further suspicions regarding cross-border connections and operational support.
Investigators further disclosed that several members of the network first became acquainted while serving prison sentences. Following their release, they allegedly regrouped and planned a series of armed bank robberies in Peshawar.
One of the arrested suspects was also identified as a madrassa graduate, while authorities said evidence gathered during the investigation pointed toward increasing overlap between criminal gangs and extremist networks operating in sensitive regions.
A terrorism case has now been registered against the suspects, while raids are underway to arrest the remaining members and facilitators believed to be linked to the network.
Security analysts have repeatedly warned that criminal enterprises and terrorist outfits in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa increasingly share logistical channels, recruitment pools, and operational tactics, blurring the line between organised crime and terrorism.
