Criminals sweep the city on two-wheelers

CPLC data suggests increased volume of new motorcycles, their theft, and surge in crime rate to be correlated

KARACHI:

As the rate of crime surges in the port city once again, law enforcers reveal that stolen motorcycles have remained the getaway vehicle of choice for Karachi’s criminals. This makes sense considering that the compact two-wheelers can zip through the city’s network of crisscrossing alleyways and buzzing traffic, making them the perfect ride to get someone off your tail.

The city’s police, however, has been having a hard time not only obstructing motorcycles theft but has remained unable to trace and recover these stolen vehicles, which are eventually used to aid crime.

According to official statistics compiled by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) over 84,945 motorcycles have been snatched or stolen in Karachi in the last two years. Out of which, some 37,707 stolen motorcycles represent the year 2020, while the figure jumped to 47,148 during the eleven months of 2021.

While on the other hand, the recovery ratio of these motorcycles has remained only 5.89 per cent, accounting for some 5,011 motorcycles that the police managed to recover during the two years.

Per Sindh Excise and Taxation Department’s Motor Vehicle Registration Deputy Director Syed Ziauddin, around 900 new motorcycles are registered every day in Karachi. The director believes that the number has significantly increased over time, with a greater volume of new motorcycles being registered in the city today as compared to previous years.

Read More: 21 criminals rounded up; weapons, stolen motorbike recovered

However, an interesting pattern to have come to light from the CPLC records suggests that motorcycle snatching in the city is also directly proportional to the volume of new vehicles registered. This is to say that motorcycle theft and snatching tend to take an upturn whenever there is an increased volume of newly registered motorcycles in Karachi, which then translates into increased criminal activity.

For instance, the last year that saw an increase in motorcycle theft also experienced an upsurge in street crimes. According to the CPLC figures, over 1,721 cars were snatched and stolen during 2020, while the number was increased to 1,919 in 2021.

Whereas some 21,558 mobile phones were reportedly snatched during 2020, the figure also leaped to 23,124 in 2021.

Similarly, other more severe crimes like kidnapping, extortion, murder, and robbery also experienced an upsurge between the years 2020 and 2021, which represented an increase in the number of stolen motorcycles.

Addressing the situation, senior crime reporter Hanif Manjothi alleged that there could be a significant difference in the number of CPLC’s reported numbers and the actual number of crime incidents. “Usually police do not formally report each and every crime incident of their respective areas. They also delay the registration of FIRs for motorcycle snatching, which gives criminals a significant window to use these vehicles to carry out criminal activity.

The Express Tribune made multiple attempts to contact the office of City Police Chief Imran Yaqoob Minhas and SP Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell Bashir Brohi, for their comments on the matter but both remained unavailable to speak. Sindh Minister for Local Governments Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, however, agreed that increasing crime-rate is a serious issue in Karachi, that needs to be remedied by relevant bodies. “The Sindh government acknowledges the issue and is taking necessary steps to combat this problem,” he maintained while speaking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2022.