Crime rises as floods recede

NOWSHERA: A crime wave is sweeping through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as robbers scour homes for valuables left behind by their occupants and pick them clean.

The rise in burglaries comes at a time when most houses are left abandoned by their occupants and owners and policemen are nowhere in sight.

One flood victim, Ali Gohar, told Express 24/7 that he had finally built a home to call his own at the age of 55, only to see it being washed away in the unexpected deluge.  Whatever little that he had left behind was stolen. “No one seems to want to do anything about it,” Gohar said.

“It’s the fourth or fifth day (of the floods) and a representative from the government has yet to come to ask what we have been through or what’s going on at the moment,” he moans.

The robbers usually pose as relief workers and travel by boat. They scavenge unoccupied homes and pick them clean before moving on.

“All our locks were broken. The locks of the cupboards, grills and the gate were all broken,” said another affectee, Gulab Sayed.

The authorities have taken note of the issue. Though the police chief of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has issued orders to deal severely with those found guilty, not a single case has been registered so far.

Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain condemned the robbers as petty opportunists who were adding to the people’s miseries.

“The thieves will not be forgiven under any circumstance. In this regard the police department has been given the duty to increase its strength, to prevent such incidents,” he said.

The flood victims, already displaced and taking temporary shelters along road-sides and hilltops, are worried that they will have nothing to return to once the flood waters recede.

The flash floods destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee, leaving behind all their worldly possessions.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2010.