Pakistan: Karachi saw 140 street crimes in single day: Official

Feb 04, 2023

Karachi [Pakistan], February 4 : Karachi had witnessed 140 street crimes, including three murders and 36 incidents of cash snatching, ARY News reported.
Presenting a detailed copy of the criminal record in Karachi, Additional Inspector General (AIG) spokesperson said as many as 140 street crime incidents took place in the region in a single day.
The data was presented by AIG Javed Alam Odho to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The report further revealed that two vehicles and eight motorcycles were snatched, whereas, 9 vehicles including 85 motorcycles were stolen. Six shootouts took place between the criminals and police officials, reported ARY News.
As per ARY News, 10 criminals were arrested in wounded condition while six suspected criminals were caught red-handed.
In the last 24 hours, 129 suspects were arrested including 24 street criminals, 21 car lifters, three murderers and arms recovered from 15 suspects.
Moreover, the arrested persons included 23 drug peddlers and 155 others who were involved in different crimes. Police seized 25 illegal weapons, seven kilograms of charas, 13 stolen mobiles, and 25 vehicles, according to ARY News.
Pakistan is currently facing the worst time since its creation as the country is witnessing a food crisis, devaluation of the rupee, electricity shortage, and attacks.
Earlier, in the first week of January, Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho admitted that the number of street crimes increased in the year 2022 as compared to the previous year, according to The Express Tribune.
"Due to the increase in street crimes, we are witnessing a greater loss of human lives," he said, adding that 109 people died in street crimes-related incidents during the outgoing year, whereas in 2021, only 75 people were killed by robbers.
The Karachi police chief claimed that from 2021 to 2022, the overall crime rate decreased by 15.4 per cent.
"In the year 2022, street crime increased by 7 per cent, however, the city has the least number of murders compared to other cities," he said.
Odho said that 8,866 suspects were arrested in the incidents of street crimes, 110 suspects were arrested for extortion and 5,420 held in carjacking and theft cases.
Odhu said 129 suspects were killed in 889 police encounters in 2022 while a total of 38,286 accused were arrested. Additionally, Karachi police arrested 8,632 drug dealers during the year, The Express Tribune reported.
He said that drugs and illegal weapons have always been a big problem for the police. The accountability of the police officers is necessary, and encouragement for good performance could also be done through that.
Also, in 2022, 58 cases were registered against police personnel and officers involved in crimes. Moreover, 10 police personnel were martyred and 70 injured in the battle against criminals.