Another Karachiite falls prey to rampant street crime

Victim shot dead near Gulshan Chowrangi, home minister suspends area SHO

KARACHI:

A father of five was gunned down on Eidul Fitr in the locality of Karachi's Gulshan-e-Iqbal over resisting a robbery attempt.

The man, identified as Turab Hussain, was shot dead on Rashid Minhas Road near Gulshan Chowrangi. Police officials said he was returning home after withdrawing money from an ATM.

The robbers took off with the money and the victim's cell phone after shooting him. The funeral prayers of the deceased were offered at Khair Al-Amal Masjid, Ancholi Imam Bargah.

Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan suspended SHO Gulshan-e-Iqbal Ghulam Yasin and directed SSP East to conduct an inquiry and arrest the accused at the earliest.

Police added that the robbers were surveilling the victim while he was withdrawing money from the ATM and shot him dead after they asked him to withdraw more and he resisted.

Read Chaos after young man killed resisting robbery in Karachi

Soon after the incident, a police and Sindh Rangers team reached the scene and started its investigation, eyewitness statements were also taken.

Earlier, the alleged prime suspect in the fatal mugging incident involving army officer Major Saad was killed in an encounter with officers from Karachi's Baghdadi police station.

The encounter took place within the vicinity of Lyari's Phool Patti Lane.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Asad Raza subsequently confirmed the deceased individual's connection to the case involving Major Saad. He was identified as Altaf Bengali and was also said to have a criminal record. He had recently been released on bail.

The police also claimed to have seized weapons from the scene of the confrontation. The body of the deceased suspect was transferred to Jinnah Hospital.

Last week, on April 5, amidst the recent upsurge of street crimes in Karachi, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) lawmaker Taha Ahmed Khan submitted a resolution in the Sindh Assembly seeking compensation for victims of street crimes.

The resolution expressed concern over the rising incidents of street crimes in the metropolis and stated that more than 50 people have lost their lives in such incident since the start of the year.

In recent months, the country's most populous city has witnessed an upsurge in street crime, which has prompted concerns over public safety and the apparent lack of law enforcement measures.

Incidents of street crime have become rampant across the city, and their CCTV footage has become viral on social media platforms, day in and day out.

Furthermore, as per data compiled by the Citizen Police Liaison Committee, an organisation that collects crime data in Karachi, during January and February: a total of 106 fatalities occurred in the city, 11 cases of kidnapping for ransom were reported, a staggering 10,488 motorcycles and 441 cars were stolen, and approximately 4,000 incidents of mobile phone snatching were reported.

Responding to the escalating crisis, the Sindh government has announced measures to address the issue, including bolstering police presence through recruitment drives. The Express Tribune learnt from sources familiar with the development that as part of this initiative, approximately 11,000 new police recruits are being enlisted across the province, with 3,885 slated for deployment in Karachi, in the first phase.

In subsequent phases, at least 12,000 new police personnel will be recruited for the port city's 108 police stations, which will double the strength of the city's police force.