Increase in robberies: Traders protest police ‘inaction’

Raja Bazaar businessman targeted by robbers

Photo Zafar Aslam/our Correspondent July 25, 2016

Traders and shopkeepers outside the Ganjmandi police station protest against security officials for their negligence in preventing robberies. PHOTO: ZAFAR ASLAM/EXPRESS

ISLAMABAD: Traders and shopkeepers of Raja Bazaar gathered at Fawara Chowk on Sunday to protest against the Ganjmandi police for being unable to control the rising incidents of robberies in the area.

They later reached outside Gangmandi police station, where they protested against the shooting in which Sheikh Muhammad Asif, wholesale businessman, was shot and injured by unidentified assailants.

Asif received a bullet wound in his stomach after an unidentified man shot at him at around 10:10 pm on Saturday.

The trader was admitted at the ICU of district headquarters hospital in critical condition.

The area police registered a criminal case under charges of attempted murder.

The traders of Raja Bazaar wanted the police to register a robbery case along with charges of attempt to murder, said a trader while talking to The Express Tribune.

Desiring not to be named, he said that incidents of robberies were on the rise in Raja Bazaar area and the traders had time and again protested against the robberies and the police inaction.

Following the protest by traders, the police added robbery charges in the case registered against the three unidentified men.

Sharing details of the case, Sub-Inspector Abdul Razzak, investigation officer of the case, said that three unidentified men entered Asif’s shop. Meanwhile, one of the robbers inadvertently shot the victim

The investigation officer further said that Asif’s brother did not claim that the robber had stolen anything from the shop.

He added that initial investigations showed that it was an attempt to kill the shopkeeper.

Superintendent of Police Malik Muhammad Iqbal of Rawal Division, said that the police had added charges of robbery in the case.

Regarding the protest by the traders, Iqbal said that there was no SHO working at Ganjmandi police station. Therefore the situation could not be controlled by the police initially.

He said that he talked to the traders and assured them that the alleged robbers who had shot and injured Asif would soon be arrested. He noted that after his assurances, the traders dispersed peacefully.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2016.