Lahore witnesses surge in criminal activities during COVID-19 lockdown

LAHORE: Lack of effective policing has led to increase in criminal activities in the capital city of Punjab province, Lahore, during first five months of 2020, even when the metropolis has remained under lockdown for at least three months due to COVID-19 pandemic, ARY NEWS reported.

According to statistics of the criminal activities shared by police authorities, 63,324 cases were registered with the law enforcement authority in the city during the ongoing year.

“148 people were killed during separate incidents in the city,” the police said adding that 16 of them were killed while offering resistance during mugging bids, a figure more than the previous year that saw five killings during the same period.

The city recorded 1,387 incidents of robbery during five months of 2020 as compared to 1,075 incidents during the same period of the previous year.

The police data showed that 20,205 four-wheeler vehicles and 203 motorcycles were snatched from the city during five months of 2020 while 2,837 vehicles were stolen from the city during the same period.

Police recorded 267 attempt to murder cases while five cases under terrorism clauses were also registered by the police stations.

The records further showed that 327 incidents of kidnapping were reported in the city of which also included eight women being sexually assaulted.

The figures were more than the previous year when 265 abduction cases were registered including gang-rape of four women.

The city police also registered 1,638 cases over possession of illegal weapons in the metropolis during 2020.

Lahore witnesses surge in criminal activities during 2020