Bike snatching

Letter June 23, 2020
The existing system must be mended to protect public property.

JOHI: Most of the villages in and around Dadu district of Sindh consist of mountainous, barren and sandy land without proper transport infrastructure in place. Public transport has not been the most effective as roads only connect a few villages. It is because of this that people prefer to travel via motorbikes in order to save their time and resources.

Recently, however, travelers have been frightened by the increasing cases of bike snatching in Johi and Dadu. The sprout of incidents has caused much dismay among the people, and most of students have abandoned their studies amid the dread of these dangerous bike thieves. In the case of resistance, these snatchers don’t hesitate to injure or kill the owners. It is also heard that most people have their bikes returned after paying some amount of ransom. Those who fail to pay see their bikes transported elsewhere. Two years ago, the rate of bike theft significantly dropped in the district so it is reasonable to assume that law enforcement agencies have the power to curb the situation. However, due to lack of accountability the situation has aggravated since then.

The existing system must be mended to protect public property. Another key thing to remember is that law enforcement agencies have played a front-line role in combating the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The people of Johi-Dadu are expecting the same earnest attitude with regard to local issues as well. I urge the authorities concerned to take pertinent action to curb this menace.

Fahad Rind

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2020.

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