Karachi people suffer great deal as parking mafia, traffic police team up

KARACHI: Apparently conniving with parking mafia across metropolis the traffic police department is selectively lifting vehicles of only those who refuse to pay an illegal fee of parking or park vehicles outside mafia command, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

It has been noted that if citizens agree to paying an illegal parking charges, which have now hiked to about Rs100 per car, demanded by alleged parking mafia, their vehicles are overlooked by police car lifting cell even when it is in blatant violation of parking.

However, when the people refuse to pay up anything to these alleged mafia hoodlums, their vehicles are ‘miraculously’ lifted even if they are parked inside streets or next to sidewalks.

Pay the mafia what qualifies as extortion or regret getting your car lifted from anywhere, seems to be the new normal in the city.

ALSO READ: Karachi police shootout: autopsy of ‘gangster’ Abbas awaits Covid report

It may be noted that this mafia has taken hold of, and is continuing to, many trade hubs across Karachi including the Saddar market, I. I. Chundrigarh Road, etc.

Other than cars, bike parking is also charged according to the number of hours it remains parked on the spot captured by this mafia. The same practice is with bikes as well that if an owner refuses to pay or parks elsewhere, their bikes get lifted.