10-month report: Robberies see surge in Faisalabad

People demand govt devise strategy to counter crime

FAISALABAD: Robbery incidents have been on the rise in Faisalabad district and losses worth millions have been reported in different mugging and robbery attempts over the past 10 months, Express News has learnt. The robberies took place within the jurisdictions of 40 police stations.

Sources said that despite a sharp increase in mugging incidents, the police managed to recover Rs140 million from the criminals, which is said around 20% of the looted amount. However, last year, the police recovered 24% of the looted booty.

According to Faisalabad police records, the robbery attempts had deprived people of more than Rs790 million in the past 10 months.

Statistics show that Rs20 million were stolen in targeted attempts, Rs180 million were looted in street crimes, over Rs2.4 million in armed hold-ups, while robbery incidents in houses and mobile towers incurred losses of Rs3.2 million.

Similarly, the citizens in Faisalabad were deprived of cars worth Rs8.3 million and snatched motorcycles worth Rs30 million.  The cost of other snatched and stolen vehicles stands at more than Rs10 million.

The police record reveals that 4,500 robberies were reported in 2017. However, the crime rate has increased this year. The people have demanded the ruling government to devise a comprehensive policy against criminals depriving people of their cash and valuables.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2018.