Annual performance: Drugs, theft continue to plague Pindi

Police claim to have arrested 372 gangsters during 2018

RAWALPINDI: During 2018, the Rawalpindi police busted as many as 105 gangs involved in various criminal activities and arrested some 372 suspects.

According to the police, during the year they recovered over Rs9 million in cash, 102 motorbikes, two rickshaws, 82 cellphones, cameras worth Rs2.7 million, one Kalashnikov, 240 pistols, 6,970 kilogrammes of hashish, and even furniture worth a million rupees.

According to the police report, seven cases of kidnapping for ransom were registered in the district during the year, in which 19 suspects were arrested. Of the eight people they had kidnapped, seven were recovered.

Moreover, the police had registered some 43 cases of 57 children abducted across the district. Of these, 47 children were recovered.

The year saw only one bank being robbed in which the police have managed to arrest a suspect.

According to the police spokesperson, the police registered some 315 cases relating to street crimes were registered in the district. The police managed to apprehend 174 suspects involved in these cases and recovered Rs4.315 million worth of stolen valuables from their possession.

Police registered some 21 cases relating to car snatching in the district and arrested 23 suspects involved in those cases and recovered 12 cars from their possession. Similarly, 154 cases of motorbike snatching were registered in the year in which 64 suspects were apprehended and 46 motorbikes recovered from the possession.

A further six suspects were apprehended in 14 cases of snatching other types of vehicles and recovered seven different vehicles from their possession.

In the event of motorbike theft, 917 cases were registered. In these, 255 suspects were arrested and 227 motorbikes were recovered from their possession. Similarly, 648 cases of car theft were registered in the district, in which 66 suspects were arrested and 102 cars were recovered from their possession.

A further 196 cases were registered for the theft of different types of vehicles in which 40 suspects were arrested and 32 vehicles were recovered from their possession.

Police officials said that just 50 dacoity cases were registered during the year in which they apprehended some 111 suspects and recovered valuables worth Rs14.52 million.

In the 137 cases registered under section 32 of the criminal procedure code, as many as 96 suspects were arrested and goods worth Rs8.77 million from their possession.

In 991 cases of break-ins and theft, 621 suspects were arrested and goods worth Rs5.18 million were recovered.

While countering drugs, the Rawalpindi police registered 2,625 cases of drug possession and pushing. In these cases, the police arrested some 2,670 suspects and recovered 1.17 tonnes of hashish, 28.53 kilogrammes of heroin, 45.120 kilogrammes of opium, 26,459 bottles of liquor, and 166 grammes of ice (crystal methamphetamines).  At least 60 drunkards were also arrested.

The police also lodged 1,734 cases of possessing illegal weapons and arrested some 1,748 suspects in these cases. They recovered 1,568 pistols, 57 revolvers, 24 Kalashnikovs, 46 rifles, 93 shotguns, three Mausers, 10 carbines, 61 daggers and 40,521 rounds of ammunition from their possession.

National Action Plan

Under the National Action Plan (NAP), the Rawalpindi police conducted some 639 search and combing operations in the district. In these operations, some 63,200 houses, 2,149 hotels, 57 hostels, and 151,437 people were checked.

During the search police and other security officials filed 36 cases of possessing illegal weapons, 31 cases of drug possession, one case under the forensic act, and 37 cases for various other criminal activities.

At least 258 people were arrested during these operations.

During the past year, the Rawalpindi police also arrested some 387 most wanted suspects and 2,030 wanted suspects.

According to the Rawalpindi police, as many as 8,233 complaints were registered either in Khulli Kutchery (Town halls) and in the City Police Officer’s (CPO) complaint cell.

Of these, FIRs were registered for 506 application. Around 908 applications were either fake or false. Of the remaining 6,629 cases, 190 applications were probed.

Apart from this, the Rawalpindi police received online complaints as well, including from the Punjab inspector general of police and Overseas Pakistanis. The Punjab IGP sent 1,099 applications of which 912 applications were clubbed together while an action is pending on 187 applications.

Overseas Pakistanis sent in 153 requests of which 128 cases were clubbed and 25 applications are under process.

During 2018, officers and employees, who were given cash prizes and certificates for good performance. Similarly, some 419 officers and employees were punished for negligence.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2019.