110cc bikes become ‘top pick’ for snatchers in Karachi

KARACHI:

Criminals in Karachi have a new favourite two-wheeler, the 110 cc, to snatch as figures show that bikes worth Rs194.1 million have been stolen or snatched over the last six months.

As per the details, 108 of these bikes were either snatched or stolen in November, 82 in December, 105 in January, 148 in February, 110 in March, and 64 in April.

The most recent incident was reported two days ago from Landhi, Zamanabad. Despite the bike owner's attempt to escape the snatching, the robbers managed to intercept him further ahead.

The same day, another incident was reported from under a pedestrian bridge located on Stadium Road, within the jurisdiction of the New Town police station. The victim, Muhammad Naveed, was even shot and injured while resisting the theft.

The citizens and the victims have demanded the police and the government address the issue promptly.

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The last month of 2023, in particular, was challenging as muggers struck anywhere at will, revealing the extent of the citizens' vulnerability to street criminals. Alarmingly, 52 lives were lost in violent robberies and other incidents during the same period.

The CPLC data showed a huge increase in street crimes as 206 vehicles, 4,777 motorcycles, and 2,095 mobile phones were stolen and snatched within a month.

According to the data, citizens were deprived of 207 vehicles worth millions of rupees in September 2023. Of these, 15 were snatched at gunpoint and 192 were stolen.

Similarly, during the month of September, citizens were deprived of a total of 5,399 motorcycles. Of these, 730 motorcycles were snatched at gunpoint and 4,669 motorcycles were stolen.