Daily Times

LAHORE: City police has failed to arrest the swindler gangs who are depriving the innocent citizens of their lives and valuables across the capital metropolis.

Every day atleast five to six affected persons are admitted to different hospitals in the city while a number of them loose their lives due to the over dose of traditional drugs that they are given to them by the fraudulent persons in order to make them unconscious before depriving them of their precious belongings.

After developing some acquaintanceship with their targets, such criminals mostly give them a dose of ‘Dhatura’ and other kinds of intoxicant-laced food and beverages. When their victims fall unconscious they loot hues belongings and flee away. Most of the people who fall prey to such criminals are new comers to the city and unaware of these felons. Such incidents are usually reported at general bus stand, railway station and their surroundings.

As a result of five such incidents during last two days Shafiq and Imitiaz were admitted to Mayo Hospital, Naveed in Nawaz Saharif Hospital, Shernawala Gate and Rehmat in Mian Munshi Hospital. Talking to Daily Times they said, “We took some food from one of our fellow passengers at Lorry ‘Adda’ (stand) and immediately fell into deep sleep; when we regained our consciousness, we found that our money, other valuables and important documents were gone.”

The Rescue 1122 spokesperson said that their emergency teams usually shift three to four such victims almost on daily basis to different hospitals of the city. He also said that according to their records most of such victims are found unconscious at General Bus Stand, Railway Station and different busy roads of the city. He further said that the rescue teams shifted five unconscious persons during last two days who were found on Motorway, Saggianpul, Minar-e-Pakistan and Lorri Adda areas including Munir, 45, Muhammad Ilyas, 34, Asad,18, Allah Ditta,24, and Nadeem, 25.

Some of those who are looted this way are very poor people who come to Lahore in order to seek employment and help from their relatives.

The locals believe that the concerned police are playing a very vague role in elimination of this crime as all those who are active across the city are working with organized gangs, which are never brought to justice as a whole and only a few of their members are caught every once in a while to justify the file work by the law enforcers.

The unfortunate aspect of the said incidents is that the investigation wings of respective area police stations are yet to nab such gangs, as all the cases are under investigation.

Most of such gangs allegedly operate in the jurisdiction of the Railway Station, Lorry Adda, Tibbi City, Bhatti Gate, Lower Mall, Ravi Road, Rang Mahal, Masti Gate, Shafiqabad, Mozang, Lyyton Road, Ichra, Race Course, Nawankot, Sherkot and Iqbal Town Police areas. Such gangs also operate in important shrines, markets, bazaars and important public places.  Incidents in which swindlers victimize travelers’ aboard public transport, at bus and van stands, railway station, bazaars and parks are on the rise as well.

“The victims of such swindles are usually left unconscious and abandoned on the roadsides and streets. Once at the hospital, such victims regain consciousness in a day or two and then narrate their horrific experiences,” a doctor at the Mayo Hospital said.

In this regard, a senior doctor, Shahid Malik, said that earlier such swindlers used ‘Dhatura’, a local herb with intoxicating effects, to dope up passengers. Nowadays, the crooks are using high doses of sedatives usually benzodiazepines, barbiturates or morphine, and maintained chloroform usage for the purpose is also reported in some occasions, he added.