Gang loots journalists’ homes in Hyderabad

SSP says the same gang was involved in three incidents of robberies at the homes of media workers

HYDERABAD: In two separate incidents of armed house robberies by the same gang of robbers, two journalists and their families were deprived of cash, gold and other valuable items. The third incident of theft, which also happened on Sunday night, also targeted a news cameraman.

The robbers kept the families of journalist Abdul Rauf Chandio and Imdad Soomro, a columnist and public relations officer of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, hostage on gunpoint during the crime.

Chandio's home is located in village Muhammad Bux Shoro and Soomro, who was temporarily staying at his sister's residence, in Rehman Cottages, Qasimabad. Both the incidents occurred in the limits of Baldia police station.

According to Chandio's FIR, five armed robbers entered his residence and held the family hostage on gunpoint.

They escaped with around Rs500,000 cash, jewellery, mobile phones, laptop and other items. Soomro stated in his FIR that four armed outlaws forcefully entered his sister's house where he was staying at around 4 am. They robbed Rs50,000 cash, jewellery, 10 mobiles phones and two laptops.

Baldia DSP Ghulam Shabbir Sarki said that the same gang of robbers first conducted the burglary at Chandio's home and later at Soomro's. He said the police have obtained CCTV footage from Chandio's home. The faces of the robbers were not covered, he added.

The thieves stole some electrical, mechanical and other items from the under-construction house of Express News channel's cameramen Shakeel Pathan in Labour Colony area in the limits of SITE police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2019.