Gang stealing cars for ransom active in Karachi

KARACHI: A shocking incident was reported from Karachi, where a gang of thieves demanded ransom from the owners of the stolen vehicles to deliver the car back, ARY News reported on Thursday.

According to reports, a citizen named Imran had his car stolen from the Korangi area on October 11 and just four days later, on October 15, he received a call from an unknown number demanding a ransom for the vehicle’s return.

The caller, posing as a policeman, instructed him to transfer money to an online banking account in exchange for the car.

On the other hand, the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) has been unable to recover more than 10 percent of stolen vehicles this year, with many cases now involving ransom demands which they termed only as scam calls.

Despite having CCTV footage of the theft, the AVLC has made no significant progress in recovering the victim’s vehicle.

After reporting the ransom demand to the authorities, the accused switched off the number, further complicating the investigation.

The police officials in a statement asserted that such scams are becoming increasingly common, with victims receiving ransom calls even after their vehicles have been stolen.

The police suspect that many of these ransom demands are made by opportunistic fraudsters who exploit victims’ desperation.

The AVLC, while acknowledging the issue, has yet to find effective solutions to either recover stolen vehicles or track down those making the extortion calls.