Street crimes on the rise as over 19,000 citizens robbed in three months

KARACHI: The people of Karachi were left at the mercy of street criminals as over 19,000 citizens were robbed in the first three months of the current year 2023, ARY News reported on Monday.

The incidents of snatching and stealing motorcycles at gunpoint in the city could not be reduced, exposing the tall claims of police high-ups.

As per the data available with ARY News, more than 19,000 citizens were deprived of their motorcycles, mobile phones, and vehicles while 34 citizens lost their lives over resistance during the first three months of 2023.

Over 7,000 incidents of street crimes had been reported in January, while as many as 6,500 cases were reported in February. Meanwhile, more than 6,000 citizens were deprived of their valuables in March 2023.

The police have failed to arrest street criminals despite the emergence of CCTV footage of many incidents. On the other hand, the police have recovered less than 5 percent of the looted valuables during various operations.

Earlier in March, businessmen and traders of Karachi threatened total shutdown of markets against the ‘rising street crimes’ in the metropolis.

Addressing a press conference, President Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA), Mohammad Rizwan Irfan, said that the Sindh government has ‘completely failed’ in controlling the street crimes in Karachi, pointing out the recent incident, wherein a ‘Rickshaw gang’ took away mobile phones and cash worth Rs15m from shop in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area.

“The location of looted mobile phones was traced to Manghopir,” Rizwan Irfan claimed, alleging that no action was taken by Manghopir police station despite filing of application.