At least two men riding a motorcycle hurled a cracker at a closed spare parts shop at Tibet Centre, within the jurisdiction of Preedy police station. Though nobody was hurt, the incident had left the traders fuming as they claimed that it was a signal sent their way by extortionists.
The following morning, a number of them shut down their shops and took to the streets, blocking MA Jinnah Road. They shouted slogans against extortionists as well as law enforcement agencies who they felt were not doing enough to protect their lives and businesses.
The owner of the targeted shop said that he was continuously being threatened by extortionists who had demanded over Rs2 million from him.
He added that despite the installation of CCTV cameras on MA Jinnah Road, the culprits are still wreaking havoc in the area, pointing to a flaw in the surveillance.
The traders’ protest caused a severe traffic jam. They dispersed once police officials arrived at the spot and promised to cooperate with them. DSP Malik Mohammad Ahsan said the police was on the case and would be using CCTV footage to help apprehend the suspects.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2012.
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