Federal Capital’s schools on hit list of burglars’

Two schools in Sector I-9 looted as police claim to have arrested nearly 2,000 people

ISLAMABAD: A worrying trend has emerged in the federal capital with three schools being robbed in as many weeks, calling into question the security arrangements made there.

The cases of theft have come at a time when the capital police have claimed to have made significant headway in tackling crime in the city by arresting nearly 2,000 suspected criminals and recovering valuables worth Rs85 million.

Three incidents of theft in public educational institutions were reported in the city with two of them taking place in Sector I-9 in the past week, with burglars breaking into the schools.

Thieves most recently broke into the Islamabad Model College for Girls in Sector I-9/1 and the Islamabad Model School for Girls in Sector I-9/4.

The thieves broke into various offices of the school including those of the principal and accounts where they stole valuables stored in the cabinets.

In Islamabad Model College for Girls in Sector I-9/1, the thieves made away with the principal’s personal laptop and the security guard’s licenced gun stored in a drawer in the office.

The heads of the institutions said that it was curious how the thieves never bothered to enter the computer lab where a number of valuable computer systems are kept.

Moreover, they said that they have filed a complaint with the police who were investigating the theft.

Sources said that the police have launched an inquiry and have obtained fingerprints of all the non-teaching staff at these schools.

Moreover, the police have also arrested the security guards who were tasked with protecting the schools at night.

The latest incidents of theft follow a similar incident from the last week of November when thieves broke into the model school in Sector I-10/4. The thieves had made away with precious items stored in the school’s cabinets.

Capital police performance

Meanwhile, Islamabad Police Operations  SSP Waqaruddin Syed in a media briefing on Wednesday claimed that they had arrested 1,935 suspected outlaws over the past 45 days and recovered valuables worth Rs85 million, including 33 stolen cars, 13 motorbikes and gold ornaments, from their possession.

Syed added that apart from outlaws, they had also taken effective action against land grabbers, drug pushers, especially those involved in supplying drugs at educational institutions and other anti-social elements.

Moreover, the SSP said that they had held 291 suspected drug pushers and bootleggers during this time who were booked in 263 cases. Further, they had recovered 108.401 kilogrammes of hashish, 23.98 kilogrammes of heroin, 2.152 kilogrammes of opium, 558 grammes of crystal methamphetamine (also known as ice) and 7,152 bottles of wine were recovered from these suspects.

Among these, he said that they had lodged 23 cases against 25 suspected drug pushers for allegedly supplying drugs at educational institutions, adding that they had recovered 16.05 kilogrammes of hashish, 3.143 kilogrammes of heroin, 2.02 kilogrammes of opium, 15 grammes of cocaine and 500 grammes of ice from these suspects.

During the same period, Syed said that they had held 211 suspects for their alleged involvement in dacoities, burglaries and auto-thefts while 33 stolen cars, 13 bikes, cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs85 million were recovered from them. These suspects were booked in 153 cases.

The SSP said the Noon as well as Koral police had arrested 46 suspects for their involvement in land grabbing and recovered three 222-bore rifles, two 12-bore repeaters, two 9MM pistols, one 30-bore pistol and a 44-bore gun.

Similar action was taken against land grabbers within the remits of other police stations of the city who arrested 85 suspects who were booked in 20 cases.

Separately, the SSP said that as many as 121 people had been held for possessing illegal or unlicensed weapons and recovered 11 Kalashnikovs, nine carbines, 103 pistols and 1,181 rounds of ammunition were recovered from them.

Further, he said that crackdown had been launched against absconders and they arrested as many as 158 proclaimed offenders during this period.

Police also raided various gambling dens and nabbed 42 people and recovered Rs77,425 in stake money and other items from them.

As many as 1,285 people were held for their alleged involvement in various criminal activities, including 42 held during a crackdown against sheesha smoking.

SSP Din said that they were pursuing a zero-tolerance-policy against corruption and an internal anti-corruption unit had been established in this regard.

To enhance police-citizen liaison, he said that they were organising `Open Kutcheries' (Town Halls) to listen to the problems of the public and address them on an immediate basis.

Operations AIG Sardar Ghayas Gul and other senior police officials were also present on the occasion.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2018.