In record time, police nail gold robbery case

Main suspect was electrician at shop.

KARACHI: The police have managed to crack a gold robbery case in a record three days, to nab seven suspects on Wednesday along with their weapons.

According to Frere Hall SHO Ishaq Lashari, Shoaib Zafar, Rafiq Hasan, Nazar Gul, Riaz Anwar, Mazhar Rab Nawaz, Asad Ghulam and Riaz Shahrukh robbed a jewelry shop in Glass Tower near Teen Talwar in Clifton on Sunday. The suspects had taken off with nine gold biscuits, which are said to be worth more than seven million rupees. Gold is at an all-time high.

Investigators found that an electrician who worked at the shop was the main culprit. “Shoaib Zafar was employed by the shop owners as an electrician,” Lashari said. For weeks, Zafar conducted the reconnaissance and analysed the security measures before he finally planned the robbery. Police sources say that Zafar was also found to be affiliated with a major political party in the city. Investigations are still underway to determine whether the robbery was an attempt at personal gain or meant to fill the coffers of the political party. DSP Zameer Abbasi, who supervised the case, said that Zafar had deliberately chosen the weekend. “All the suspects are hardened criminals and this is not the first time they’ve robbed,” he added.

Zafar and his gang are repeat offenders with at least two other cases under their belt. “But this is a frequent trend that we have observed over the years. After serving jail time, instead of [keeping away], the suspects again commit crime.”

The suspects were also found to be in possession of arms, including one AK-47, one rifle, five pistols and 60 rounds of ammunition. They were booked in First Information Report No. 190/11 under sections 382 for robbery and 13-D for possession of arms.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th,  2011.