Say it like it is: Crime rate in Karachi has gone down by 50%, claims Sindh IGP

Official admits that kidnappings for ransom have increased again .

SUKKUR: The crime rate in Karachi has gone down by 50 per cent since the start of the targeted operation last year, but this does not mean that the law enforcers have ignored the rest of Sindh and left them at the mercy of criminals, said Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch.

He was speaking to the media at the DIGP Office in Sukkur on Wednesday afternoon. “I follow up on all the cases after assigning certain duties to my DIGs. My visit to Larkana and Sukkur also counts as a follow up of certain issues,” he said.

According to IGP Baloch, despite the shortage of resources and equipment, the police department is doing its job very well. “We are trying to overcome this shortage by purchasing sophisticated weapons and other equipment.”

Speaking on the arrest and alleged torture of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s worker Fahad Aziz, he said that the policemen accused of torture have been suspended while an inquiry is also being held to find out the facts. “The operation is not against any political party, only against criminals.”

He admitted that while kidnappings for ransom had gone down after the operation started, they have increased again in February. “We are making every effort for their recovery but it is not necessary that we announce our operation against the outlaws.”

In response to a question about the law and order in district Ghotki, he said that the situation has improved and not a single kidnapping for ransom was reported in the last three months. When asked about the reports that police stations were being auctioned in rural Sindh and the Karachi police is extorting Rs220 million daily from criminals, the officer said that if someone has proof, they should come forward, otherwise they shouldn’t make such serious allegations.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2014.