Daily Times

KARACHI: The home minister and the IGP Sindh are praising the efforts of police officials for controlling street crimes during the Ramadan and Eid days despite the fact that 2287 people were deprived off their vehicles and 1919 of their cell phones during the 29 days of Ramadan.

The rise in street crimes were very visible after the first half of Ramdan when Eid-ul-Fitar was around the corner and most of the people had started to flock for visiting the markets more frequently.

According to the facts and figures provided by Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) 26 people were killed during the Ramdan and over all street crime rate remained at the high note as compared to the last years when 2206 vehicles were snatched and stolen during Ramadan in 2016.

Likewise in Ramdan-ul-Mubarak of 2016 a total 1888 people were reported to be deprived off their cell phones as the real number is much higher which shows a clear rise in the activity of street criminals.

Meanwhile around 40 cases of robberies at houses, factories, offices and shops were also reported across the city, while no bank, filling station or post office was robbed this year or the previous year during the Ramazan, one case of robbery was also reported at the airport this year.

During the last 15 days of Ramdan Ares of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Juhar, Malir, Sadar, Nazimabad, North Karachi, FBArea, Liaqatabad, Landhi and Korangi were most affected where small groups of street criminals were active in robbing and looting the shops but no one out of them could have been nabbed by police despite the fact that videos of some of them went viral.

It is pertinent to mention here that the home minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh A.D. Khowaja had sought a comprehensive and efficient strategy to control street crimes in Karachi during the Ramadan. They directed DIGs and SPs of different districts of the metropolis to depute plain-clothes policemen around all central shopping centers.

They also ordered frequent snap checking in the crime affected areas, reiterating that Crime and Control Center functional in the Central Police Office must ensure compliance of these directives.

But the end result was not satisfactory as far as the figures are concerned but both have praised officials and officers of Sindh police but according to the citizen they still have to do some thing further better.

The Rangers had also set pickets for checking especially around the markets in areas being visited during the last week of the shopping spree but apparently this exercise was not that fruitful as the snatchers were busy depriving people of the mobiles and valuables.

On the second day of Eid a resident of DHA Phase II was robbed just out side his home when he had just arrived from London.

Victim said in his statement to loge FIR in Defence police station that criminals took 8 thousands Dollars and other precious stuff on gun point and walked away easily.

Published in Daily Times, June 30th, 2017.