Vigilante justice: ‘Robber’ killed, another injured during mob attack

KARACHI:

A suspected robber died and another was injured when a mob attacked them after the two were allegedly caught trying to rob a man near Bilal Colony in Korangi on Monday.

Two men intercepted resident Muhammad Riaz outside his house and forced him to give cash and other valuables to them. However, Riaz managed to retaliate and push them to the ground in an attempt to escape. Meanwhile, people from the neighbourhood started to gather around the scene where they grabbed the alleged robbers and started assaulting them.

"I was asked to hand over my bag by the robbers but I retaliated and managed to gather the crowd," said Riaz. "Street crimes are common in our locality and we will not tolerate this anymore."

Commenting on the matter, Pakistan Bazaar police station SHO Zaheer Mahesar said, "I reached the location to take the matter in my hands but the mob was out of control."

The mob demanded that they will only hand over the robbers in the presence of local Muttahida Qaumi Movement MNA Mehboob Alam, said Mahesar. Alam was then called to the scene, he added.

"I convinced the mob to hand over the alleged robbers to the police and tried to make them understand that this is unethical," said Alam. "The common man is not allowed to take the law in his hands."

“The locals of my constituency are troubled by the rising street crimes in the locality, which has resulted in this violent incident,” claimed Alam. "I have personally talked to the police officials of my area to curb the crime rate in the area."

The victim, Riaz, said the mob was on the verge of lynching the alleged robbers. "We tried to lynch them but were stopped by the local MNA." Two other accomplices of the alleged robbers managed to escape. The suspects were taken to a nearby hospital, where one succumbed to his wounds and other one is in critical condition.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th,  2015.