Man With Suitcase of 1.7m Yuan Attacked by Gunman Outside Bank

A man in Zhengzhou who was seriously injured during a violent robbery outside a bank is calling for the institution to be held accountable, saying staff and security guards failed to act as he struggled with an armed assailant, Ziniu News reported yesterday.

The victim, surnamed Ni, told Ziniu News that the incident occurred in July last year at the Agricultural Bank of China's Baisha sub-branch in Zhongmu County in central China's Henan Province.

He withdrew 1.7 million yuan (US$240,000) in cash and was wheeling a suitcase containing the money out of the bank when a man armed with a homemade gun suddenly attacked him.

Ni said the assailant struck him in the face and tried to snatch the suitcase just a few meters beyond the bank's entrance. The struggle, he said, lasted for around 20 minutes.

According to Ni, several bank employees and security guards stood near the doorway but did not intervene or call the police. After the attacker fled, Ni waited on the steps outside the bank until a passerby called an ambulance. Medical evaluations later determined that he had sustained second-degree serious injuries, including permanent blindness in his left eye.

The attacker, surnamed Wang, was arrested hours later. Court documents show he had been in financial distress and had scouted the bank and another nearby branch multiple times before the incident.

On July 2, 2024, he waited outside the bank until Ni withdrew the cash, then attacked as Ni attempted to load the suitcase into his car. In February 2025, Wang was sentenced to a suspended death sentence. Ni sought 380,000 yuan in civil compensation but was awarded over 73,000 yuan.

Ni told Ziniu News he believes the bank should bear some responsibility, arguing that staff should have taken steps to ensure his safety given the large withdrawal and the fact that the assault happened directly outside the entrance.

According to the report, the bank did not provide a direct response to the allegations. The local office of the National Financial Regulatory Administration has since intervened to mediate.

Customer service staff on the bank's national hotline told a Ziniu News reporter, who called as a customer, that there is no unified rule requiring branches to escort clients withdrawing large sums, and practices differ based on staffing and security arrangements. Some bank employees at other institutions said escorts can be provided upon request, while others noted such services are typically reserved for private banking clients.

Fu Jian, a lawyer with Henan Zejin Law Firm, said in an interview with Ziniu News that China's Civil Code requires operators of public venues, including banks, to take reasonable safety measures within their premises and in surrounding areas under their control. If they fail to do so and a customer is harmed, he said, they may be held liable.