Gunman Robs Another Tbilisi Branch of State-Run Bank Of Georgia

A gunman on February 4 robbed a Tbilisi branch of the Bank of Georgia -- the second armed robbery at a Tbilisi branch of the private bank in a week.

Sofia Balavadze, a spokeswoman for the Bank of Georgia, said the robber wore a mask when he rushed into one of the bank's customer-service centers and demanded money.

Balavadze said the gunman escaped with some cash.

But she said it was not a large amount of money because the swift reaction of security personnel prompted the gunmen to flee quickly.

On January 30, another Bank of Georgia branch in Tbilisi was robbed by a masked man who fled with about $2,500.

A suspect in that robbery, a 26-year-old policeman, was arrested later trying to cross the border into Turkey.

Meanwhile, authorities say unknown individuals on February 4 stole a safe containing about $1,500 from a branch of the private Liberty Bank in the village of Jugaani in Georgia's western province of Kakheti.

*A previous version of this story listed the Bank of Georgia as a state-owned bank; it is privately owned.

Based on reporting by newsgeorgia.ru and apsny.ge