PESHAWAR: Unemployment and poverty are the main reasons forcing many teenagers and young men in the provincial capital to resort to robbery and theft. Hameed, a 16-year old Peshawar resident, locked up in a police station for his alleged involvement in a number of robberies, has fear of punishment etched on his face as shared his sorrowful tale with Daily Times. “I am not a professional thief, unemployment and poverty have forced me to rob people. I belong to a poor family and it is impossible for me to get quality education and a decent job,” he said. He was arrested along with many other young men by the Capital City Police Peshawar in a search and strike operation against robbers in different parts of the city. “I was working as a daily wager before a friend of mine lured me to join his gang and earn easy money to support my family. That is how I came to this profession,” Hameed added. Asif is another robber locked up behind bars after he was arrested in a search operation. He said that he along with his friend Naveed used to rob all kinds of valuables from homes in different part of the city. They would earn reasonable amounts by cheaply selling the stolen goods in different markets in Peshawar. The list of teenaged criminals does not end at Hameed and Asif. A large number of teenagers have joined street crime gangs due to lack of jobs and poverty. In the jurisdiction of Phandu police station three cases of robbery, car lifting and theft were registered against unidentified criminals in the last week. Increasing number of complaints by residents of Peshawar against the sharp rise in street crime has led to search and strike operations against such elements in different areas known for criminal activities. The operation is led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Abaas Majeed Khan Marwat. So far 11 suspected robbers have been arrested after Eidul Fitr. Shockingly, all the arrested persons are teenagers, while three of them are said to be Afghan nationals. While talking to the media, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gulbahar Rokhan Zeb said that with the help of police informers, the operation team successfully raided different areas of Peshawar and arrested the criminals. He added that criminals named Asif alias Asifay, Usman alias Tawani, Sajid alias Trangari, Javed alias Tora, Hameed, Shehzad alias Tere Naam, Wakeel, Arshad alias Joja, Bilal, Ayaz and Aftab were arrested for their alleged involvement in a number of robberies, mobile snatching, car lifting and other criminal cases. Police recovered Rs 89,150 in cash, in addition to gold, washing machines, water pumps, 11 mobile phones, laptops, pistols, bullets and other valuables from them. Police registered cases against them in their respective police stations and started an investigation.