Bhatta mafia: Crackdown against extortionists begins

Police, Rangers and FC will launch ‘indiscriminate’ operation: Malik.


Our Correspondent March 20, 2012

KARACHI:


Caving in to mounting pressure from a key coalition partner, the government finally decided on Monday to crack down on extortionists (bhatta mafia) in Karachi.


“An operation against extortionists will begin in Karachi before dawn on Tuesday (today),” Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a joint news conference with Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan at the Chief Minister House.

“Police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary will launch the operation, while separate SHOs will be posted in each police station to liaise with the business community,” he added.

Malik said that the Sindh Assembly would soon pass an anti-extortion law which would cover all extortion-related offences.

The draft bill would be unveiled in the next three days.

He said that 10,000 new recruitments would be made in the Sindh police and that the federal government would pay the salaries of half of them.

Assuring the gathering of a resilient crackdown, Malik said the operation would be indiscriminate. “We will take indiscriminate action against extortionists, whoever they may be.”

The Katchi Rabita Committee took exception to the kind of language used by the interior minister against the community. “Rehman Malik is welcome to conduct an operation in Lyari – but he should mind his language,” the committee’s spokesperson, Abdul Karim said.

The Anti-Extortion Joint Task Force will be headed by the provincial police chief. A helicopter will also be at the squad’s disposal. “Intelligence officials will help the law enforcers to trace the criminals,” Rehman said.

The interior minister, who chaired a high-level meeting earlier in the day, said that they have decided to establish police and rangers checkpoints in and around the Lyari neighbourhood. Checkpoints will also be set up in Sherpao Colony, Liaquatabad and Orangi Town.

Malik conceded that some incompetent police officials were giving the force a bad name. “Law-enforcement agencies have been asked to see if these elements are patronising criminals,” he added.

He also admitted that complaints of extortion were genuine. “We do believe some criminals are defaming parties while claiming to be their loyalists,” he added.

Telecom regulations

The interior minister said the government would strictly deal with the offence of using stolen mobile phones, for which punishment would be a 7-year prison sentence. He added that those caught selling or purchasing fake SIMS would be tried under the anti-terrorism act. “It will be a non-bailable offense.”

Malik said that all untraceable SIMS would be blocked. “The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) will inform ID card holders within three days of SIMS being activated in their names. No SIM will be sold directly from May 1. Instead, purchased SIMS would be mailed to the address mentioned in the ID card of the bearer.”

It will be mandatory for mobile phone operators to inform of the IMEI numbers of the handsets to the PTA to enable law-enforcement agencies to trace stolen phones. “All retailers are to get permission from concerned police stations before opening their shops,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2012.

COMMENTS (12)

s.qamber | 11 years ago | Reply

@Salman Orangiwala:

The strings are pretty long.your comments have wieght. The authorities are fully aware.but they do not fear any one.Unfortunate part is they even, are not afraid of the creator., let alone the world they live???

Salman Orangiwala | 12 years ago | Reply

Govt wants to end the extortion ???? lolzzzzz...... PPP's waderas fro Interior Sindh has the biigest share in the extortion with people like Mirza .

Police officers imported from Interior Sindh who are here to jsut get rich overnight will never eliminate extortion , rather protect it . Just wait and see .

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