Robbery: Sabzi Mandi traders protest killing of shopkeeper

ISLAMABAD:

A group of traders from Sabzi Mandi, the main vegetable and fruits market of Islamabad, staged a protest demonstration on Thursday outside a local police station against the killing of a trader during a robbery.

On Wednesday night, three armed robbers killed shopkeeper Syed Waqar in the market when he tried to resist them. Before killing Waqar, who was from Kashmir, the robbers took cash and valuables from his small foodstuff shop.

Protesting traders raised slogans against the area police for failing to curb the rising robbery rate in the market. They accused the police of providing shelter to the criminals.

Addressing the protesting traders, Syed Abdullah, a leader of the traders association, said that police had failed to protect the traders. He said robberies had become order of the day in the market, but the police had failed to take any measures to track down the robbers.

They threatened to close their shops in protest for indefinite period if the police failed to take action against the robbers. They dispersed after the station house officer (SHO) gave them assurances that the police would provide additional security to traders and would take action against the robbers.

Sabzi Mandi SHO Muhammad Ayub told The Express Tribune that the police found a mobile phone from the crime scene that could help investigators track them down. He said that an FIR has been registered against the unidentified killers and an investigation is underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2013.