The Egyptian Exchange Co., a subsidiary of Banque Misr, was robbed on Wednesday in the Abdin district of downtown Cairo, by unidentified gunmen.
According to a security official, the gunmen stole LE 1.1 million. However, Mohamed al-Eterby, head of Banque Misr, said the amount stolen was LE900,000.
A team of Cairo detectives, headed by Major General Khaled Abdelaal, Assistant Minister of Interior for the Security Sector in Cairo, moved to inspect the scene of the incident and seized the surveillance cameras.
Al-Masry Al-Youm visited the scene of the crime, however, journalists were prevented from taking photos of the company or those inside it, and detectives refused to give press statements in order to maintain confidentiality of the investigation.
The doorman of a nearby building said, “I was standing in front of the building next to the office of the Egyptian Exchange Company. I heard one of the employees shout ‘help!’ after the escape of the perpetrators.”
“Everyone ran to help the staff, who were in a state of hysteria because they were threatened with death,” he added.
“The operation was carried out simply because the perpetrators entered the company’s headquarters as ordinary citizens, and when they were inside, they raised their weapons and carried out the incident,” the doorman said.
Prosecutors requested a speed inspection of the surveillance cameras installed in front of and inside the money exchange company and demanded the investigators collect information on the criminal records of those who meet the character descriptions made by the employees of the bank.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
