The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) released a report on Monday in which it stated that 229 citizens lost their lives in different criminal incidents during January to August 2018. The incidents included target killing, torture and snatching of cash and cell phones in different parts of city which resulted in the killings. During the period, over 21,436 mobile phones were stolen at gunpoint in different incidents of street crimes while, in comparison, during the same period last year, around 18,988 cell phones were snatched, the CPLC said. According to the CPLC, two incidents of kidnapping for ransom, 38 incidents of extortion in different parts of city, three cases of bank robberies and 38 incidences of extortion were also reported from January to August 2018. Around 15,351 motorcycles were either stolen or snatched at gunpoint while 614 vehicles were also stolen or snatched during the last eight months, said the report. The report also stated that during the month of August alone, thirty people were killed in multiple incidents of firing and torture and around 3,436 mobile phones were snatched or stolen, out of them only 169 were recovered. Nearly 140 four-wheelers were either snatched or stolen and only 64 vehicles were recovered and 2,845 motorcycles were stolen or snatched and only 533 were recovered during August, said the report. It is worthy to mention here that the CPLC report did not include a large number of cell phones and motorcycles snatching incidents that were gone unreported as the victims of these incidents felt insecure and shy of long procedural steps of the police and other government agencies. Published in Daily Times, September 11th 2018.