Daily Times

Karachi police seem perplexed and outraged by the stabbing spree of the mystery attacker who has left injured over a dozen women including some minors.

Apparently, the assailant appears out of nowhere on a motorcycle, with the face covered by a helmet, finds a lone victim, stabs her and decamps.  The city has not witnessed a case of this nature ever before. It has created a deep fear among the public, especially women.

Reports suggest that the stabber has mostly been targeting women on deserted roads of Gulistan-e-Johar area. The attacker usually hounds lonesome victims from behind. “It is the pattern that he attacks the women from the rear with some sharp pointed object,” confirms a senior police officer in a report.

One of the studies on serial stabbing cases that took place in England, France, Germany and the US in 19th and 20th centuries revealed that attackers in those instances were mostly psychopaths who suffered from morbid sexual impulse. The study refers to the attackers in the following words, “the incision with the lancet was often accompanied by seminal emission, and the attacker’s entire existence had been absorbed in the alternate excitement and depression that preceded and succeeded his acts.” Most of those instances featured buttock or thigh attackers. The widely known cases were of the London Monster, the French piqueurs, and the Madchenstecher (Girl-Cutter) of Augsburg (Germany).

Such attackers are mostly prone to deriving sadistic pleasure from their criminal acts. This has led psychatrists to use the term sadistic stabbers for them, since they derive pleasure from feeling the knife entering the flesh of those attacked; and from the sight of blood oozing out of the wound and from pain and terror.

In London in 1977, reports about an unidentified attacker who slashed the skirts of women commuters in the underground trains became widespread. The mystery attacker later got the name of ‘Jack the Ripper’.

In the same year in Paris, there were reports of an attacker piercing fishhooks in the breasts of women victims. In 1978, in Malaya an attacker carried out similar fishhook attacks. In 1985 in Birmingham a ‘pint-sized pervert’ stabbed nine women in the bottoms. In China in 1986, there were reports about 25 knife attacks on women. The attacker was later identified as Wang Jinhou. He was sentenced to death. The harsh punishment greatly deterred the sadistic serial stabbers everywhere.

In Pakistan, there have been no reported cases of sadistic psychopathic attackers so far. Therefore, true to the principle of cognitive consistence, the serial stabber of Karachi has been quickly associated with the notorious ‘hathora (hammer) group’ that used to crush the heads of wage labourers in Karachi in 1980s. The serial stabber has created deep fear among the public, especially among the women of Karachi, therefore, investigators would be justified to look at it as the handiwork of terrorists as well. Investigators should also keep the example of religious zealots in mind; like those who used to harass women in Lahore in 2009 for not wearing dupatta or for wearing dresses deemed western by the assailants. Police investigators should explore all these aspects, including the sadistic-psychopath attacker angle. It is advisable to extensively research the serial stabbing attacks and find patterns that can help defend against them.

Investigators should also keep the example of religious zealots in mind: those who used to harass women in Lahore in 2009 for not wearing dupatta

The public, police and press are quite upset on the apparent failure of the arrest of the serial stabber. Media is giving negative remarks on the performance of Karachi police.  They ought to be more patient and sympathetic in this regard. Karachi, the most populous city of Pakistan, has a population of about 15 million. It is inhabited by millions of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, Burma, Afghanistan, etc. Umpteen mafias, criminal gangs, religious and ethnic terrorists and extortionists operate here. Police, rangers and intelligence agencies are at constant war with them. The serial stabber case is quite tricky and it takes time to resolve such tenuous cases. The British, French and American police had remained baffled by the elusive nature of the stabbers for months and years at times. The Girl-Cutter of Augsburg could be arrested after eighteen years.

It is observed that when the police are under pressure from the public and high ups they tend to release the pressure by picking up innocent persons, terming them as suspects and at times extracting confessional statements through torture. At times, fake complainants also deceive the police. Police should be aware of the fact that there were instances of mischief making by some alleged victims in UK and France who faked injuries to earn compassion. In such circumstances at time self-appointed vigilantes become active and create nuisance as they sometimes go after innocent people.

It is unfair and unrealistic to expect the police to prevent every attack by the stabber. While the hunt is on, women should exercise more vigilance, especially in the target areas like Gulistan-e-Johar. They should avoid dark and deserted alleys where the serial stabber can lurk about in search of his target. Preventive measures will frustrate the stabber and lead to follies that could ultimately lead to his arrest.

The writer is Honorary Director Centre for Peace and Security Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore. MA International Security, War Studies Department, King’s College London His twitter account: N Elahi @Aaibak

Published in Daily Times, October 10^th 2017.