Target killers posed as street criminals to conduct murders in Karachi
- By Nazir Shah -
- May 16, 2024
KARACHI: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has exposed presence of a target killers’ group operating in the city under the veil of street criminals.
DIG CTD Asif Aijaz Shaikh has disclosed that the mastermind of the organized gang, Syed Hussain Moosvi, staying and operating from abroad.
DIG CTD has said that the group had started targeted killings in November last year and the workers of a specific group were made target. “Two members of the group when arrested declared them as street criminals,” the DIG said.
“We investigated them and booked them under the charge of targeted killings,” CTD officer said.
He said, two arrested target killers have confessed killing 13 persons. “There is a group of four target killers, and they have 24 facilitators, we are working to arrest them,” DIG CTD said.
Karachi experienced a significant surge in street crimes in 2023, with a reported 11.11% increase over the previous year. According to data released by the Karachi police, over 90,000 incidents were reported in 2023, up from more than 80,000 in 2022. The statistics reveal a disturbing trend, with 134 citizens murdered, hundreds injured while resisting robberies, and 411 killed in various incidents. Additionally, a staggering number of vehicles were stolen or snatched, including over 59,000 motorcycles and 2,336 cars, while more than 28,000 citizens were robbed of their mobile phones.