Daily Times

KARACHI: A serial knife attacker has openly challenged the law enforcement agencies, including police, as the Counter Terrorism Department of the Sindh Police is still clueless about the attacker, who so far has attacked around dozens of women in the city.

Over a dozen women, including minor girls, have been injured in several knife attacks in parts of District East, including Rashid Minhas Road, NIPA Chowrangi, Gulshan-e-Jamal, Aziz Bhatti, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Pehlwan Goth since September 26.

Initially, the attacker started carrying out attacks in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area, prompting authorities concerned to put the police force on high alert. Now such attacks have also occurred in other parts of the city, putting a question mark on performance of police, who have several times claimed to have busted gang or networks of high-profile militant organisations or target killers. However, in this particular case the force remains fail to trace or arrest a single person despite utilisation of entire force and resources.

In one such incident on Thursday night, a 28-year-old woman, Tahira Banu, came under attack near Pehlwan Goth in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Initial reports suggested that the same attacker was behind the incident. Police officials said the woman was attacked from the front side as against previous cases wherein women were attacked from the back side. Interestingly, the woman also attempted to catch the suspect; however, the assailant attacker her again with a sharp edge material and managed to escape. The woman was immediately taken to a nearby private hospital for medical treatment. Police have also obtained the CCTV footage of the incident and initiated further investigations.

On the other hand, Karachi Police Additional Inspector General Mushtaq Maher had said that Karachi police was trying their best and had deputed many teams for the arrest of person/ persons involved in these heinous offences, creating panic and fear among the public.

For the purpose, he said that two teams – one headed by CIA deputy inspector general and the other headed by the deputy inspector general (East) – had been constituted.

He said that police had announced a reward of Rs 500,000 for a person who would come up with information leading to the arrest of the attacker. “Most likely the person involved is a psychopath and police are working on few available clues to catch the attacker,” he added.

He claimed that police had arrested all high profile target killers and terrorists in the past, and would also solve this case. “I appeal to the citizens of Karachi not to panic and provide information related to incident,” he said. He also requested the media to report the incidents but refrain from sensationalising.

Published in Daily Times, October 7^th 2017.