Karachi sees massive spike in street crime

Karachi continues to reel under a surge of street crime, with citizens deprived of hundreds of vehicles, thousands of motorcycles and mobile phones in just the first four months of the year, alongside a worrying rise in killings and extortion cases, according to data released by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

During the January-April period, citizens were robbed or stolen of 611 cars and 13,346 motorcycles, collectively worth millions of rupees, highlighting the scale of vehicle-related crime in the metropolis. The data further reveals that 5,567 mobile phones were snatched from citizens during street crime incidents in the same period.

Violence also remained alarmingly high, with 176 people killed in various incidents of murder. In addition, 61 cases of extortion were reported.

CPLC statistics for April alone show 22 cars snatched and 111 stolen, while 469 motorcycles were snatched and 2,723 stolen during the month. In the same 30-day period, 1,624 mobile phones were snatched from citizens, while 42 people were killed in separate incidents.