Efforts to curb street crimes seemed futile in Gujranwala as more than 500 incidents were reported during the past month, out of which about 70% of the cases were registered at the police stations.
Reportedly, millions of rupees in cash, jewellery, motorcycles, cars, other vehicles and valuables were snatched from the citizens.
Meanwhile, panic spread among the citizens given the increasing street crime incidents, the victims staged protests.
Sources said despite there being 30 police stations and police outposts in Gujranwala, criminal activities were rising at an alarming rate due to alleged negligence of law enforcement agencies.
Suspects committed more than 500 robberies in a month, out of which more than 350 incidents had been registered while citizens had submitted applications to the police stations for registration of other incidents but allegedly no police action had been taken against them.
Most of the incidents took place in the areas of Baghbanpura, Khayali, Model Town, Sabzi Mandi, Saddar Kamunki, People’s Colony, Ladhiwala Waraich, Gakharmandi, Gurjakh, Aymanabad, Dhale and Civil Lines. Meanwhile, other police stations including Arup, Jinnah Road, Sadar Gujranwala, Ferozwala, Gurjakh, Wahndo, Qila Deedar Singh, Kot Ladha, Satellite Town, City Kamonki, Sohdara, Kent, City Wazirabad, Ahmednagar and Alipur had registered cases.
Sources added that criminals snatched more than Rs10 million from the citizens in a month and also looted 423 tola of gold jewellery, more than 120 motorcycles, five cars, six loader rickshaws, three walkers, more than 130 cattle including goats, sheep, buffaloes and calves, more than 300 mobile phones and 10 transformers of WAPDA department were stolen.
The criminal elements also stole even utensils, clothes, shoes, watches and gas and electricity meters besides many other households.
Several citizens claimed that certain police officers were not registering the street crime incidents which happened to them.
On the contrary, police claimed that a thief and a robber gang had been arrested. The stolen goods recovered from them will be returned to the respective owners.
Reportedly, many victims do not want to go to the police owing to the hurdles they face in the registration of their complaints. Most of the victims told The Express Tribune that instead of registering their complaints and providing justice, policemen started harassing the complainants.
However, the victims have demanded from the authorities concerned that the police personnel stationed in Gujranwala, including the officers and other personnel, who were involved in negligence and harassment, should be immediately suspended. They also asserted that honest police officers and personnel should be deployed so that the increasing incidents of street crimes be eliminated.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2021.
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