When shopkeepers from the tyre market in Saddar received chits from the extortion mafia demanding Rs15,000 to Rs70,000, they blocked MA Jinnah Road in protest on Friday evening.
Shopkeepers from the timber and trade market joined the protest, burning tyres and shouting slogans against city’s lawlessness and persistent threats from extortionists. “We live in a state of fear because the extortion mafia threatens us regularly and law enforcement agencies do not provide us security,” complained a protester.
According to protesters, at least three armed motorcyclists came to the tyre market, adjacent to the Urdu Bazaar, to hand out chits to at least four shopkeepers, demanding extortion. “Two of them had pistols while the third one had a hand grenade and they warned us of dire consequences if we didn’t pay,” said a shopkeeper. The chits have a cell number, which the shopkeepers were asked to call in order to make the payments.
Preedy SHO Mohammad Waseem told The Express Tribune that the shopkeepers were threatened before Friday prayers, but they did not contact the police until after the prayers. “None of the shopkeepers came forward to give us information about the group,” he said.
The police asked the shopkeepers for the number on the chit so that they could track the group down, with the help of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2011.
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