“I was sitting at my shop waiting for the routine auction to start when three armed men raided my shop,” wholesaler Lala Abdul Rasul told The Express Tribune. “My son, Lala Sami, and some of my employees were present. The robbers aimed their guns at me and my son as they stole cash worth Rs2.7 million and mobiles from me, my son and the employees. They kept firing in the air as they fled.”
Abdul Rasul explained that he was keeping such a huge amount in his shop because “it was Thursday”, when “we make payments to the fish farmers”. What made it harder for him to accept the tragedy was the fact that a police station was located only 10 metres away from his shop.
Abdul Rasul’s colleague, Shahnawaz, was equally shocked. “Our market is thickly populated and it is almost impossible to rob someone and get away with it,” he said. “The law and order situation was never this bad. Today’s robbery has shocked us and now we are all feeling insecure.”
“Lala Abdul Rasool is the biggest wholesaler in the fish market and it seems as if the robbery took place on a tip-off,” Shahnawaz added.
Hundreds of fish dealers from the market took to the streets following the murder. They also staged a sit-in on Barrage Road near A-section police station. Abdul Rasul led the protesters as they shouted slogans against the law enforcers and burnt tyres. Traffic to and from the clock tower roundabout remained suspended for nearly two hours.
“We are not going to end the blockade until the culprits are arrested,” Abdul Rasul said.
Sukkur City DSP Rizwan Soomro came to the site and addressed the protesters. He assured them that the culprits will be arrested soon, and the stolen cash and mobile phones will also be recovered.
The protesters dispersed following the DSP’s visit. Abdul Rasul lodged an FIR against three unidentified men at A-section police station but the police have yet to make any arrests.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2011.
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