Police arrest members of 'rickshaw gang', recover ladies handbags

KARACHI: Karachi police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested at least two people belonging to the notorious “Rickshaw gang” from the city’s Ferozabad area, ARY News reported.

According to SSP Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, the two suspects were arrested after an encounter with a police party which chased them after they robbed an area resident of her valuables.

The police officer said that one of the two suspects is the leader of the notorious Rickshaw gang which is behind at least 200 robbery incidents in the city. The law enforcement agency recovered at least 70 handbags, 50 smartphones, Rs0.3million in cash, motorbikes and a rickshaw from their custody.

“They (the gang members) only robbed women and used cutters to cut their jewellery. The gang members, however, kept expensive and luxury handbags with them,” said the SSP.

The police officer added that the gang only conducted robberies in posh areas of the city like PECHS, Tipu Sultan road, Clifton and Gulshan-e-Iqbal and used to dress smartly before leaving for “work”.

“They all met in prison and probably planned to form this gang there (in prison), one of their aides was arrested about 45 days ago from Bahadurabad after a citizen shot him while resisting a robbery attempt,” said the police officer.

AIG Karachi Ameer Shaikh lauded East Zone Police and CPLC East over their success in arresting the criminals while announcing cash prize and certificate for the police party.