Unsafe zones: Roadside robberies trouble commuters
Rawalpindi-Bagh road has become a hotspot for muggers and robbers, while police look away in indifference.
If the robbers do not find anything, they manhandle the passengers,” says Jalal Akram, a victim of robberies. PHOTO: FILE
RAWALPINDI:
Fed up with the unending series of road robberies, drivers and resident of Kotli Sathian — situated on the border of Azad Kashmir and Rawalpindi — have demanded that the police set up a permanent checkpoint to control such untoward incidents.
Talking to The Express Tribune on Sunday, drivers and passengers who are regular commuters on the route complained that robberies have become a routine matter. The failure of police to trace these robbers has emboldened them to redouble their efforts in depriving passengers of valuables.
“Robbers often block the Rawalpindi-Bagh Road by placing obstacles such as stones and tree trunks on it, and then emerge to loot passengers on gun point,” said Muhammad Nazir, a driver.
He said that several robberies had taken place in the past, but no action has been taken.
Aslam Satti, another driver who commutes between Pindi and AJK on a daily basis, said the robbers are locals who can easily be traced if the police put their intelligence network to use. Moreover, several drivers complained that when it comes to registering FIRs, the police forces from Pindi and AJK use the excuse that the area does not fall under their jurisdiction.
“A week ago when five passenger vans were looted, we contacted the Kashmir police and then the Pindi police. It took us four hours just to determine that the area falls under the latter’s jurisdiction,” said Sajid Akbar, a passenger who was robbed of Rs1,500 cash and a mobile phone.
Passengers said that while traversing curves in the road — spots where vehicles are likely to slow down or be stopped — they try desperately to stuff their valuables either inside the seats or someplace discreet to avoid looting.
“We stuff most of our money and our mobile phones inside the vehicle’s seats, and some in our pockets to avoid being beaten up by the robbers. If the robbers do not find anything, they manhandle the passengers,” said Jalal Akram, a resident of Bagh, who has been a victim of such robberies.
This trick is fast becoming obsolete too, as the robbers now check insides of seats and even tear them up with knives to check for valuables.
Citing an incident, the disgruntled victims told of five consecutive robberies in the past week where passengers of five vehicles were deprived of cash and valuables by a gang of robbers on the Bagh-Rawalpindi road near Kotli Sattian.
According to the passengers and police, four masked men forced five vehicles to stop at gun point near Mirzapur, Kotli Sattian and by use of force, made away with cash, gold ornaments, 10 cell phones and other valuables.
The passengers, mostly from the Bagh District of Azad Kashmir, were travelling to Rawalpindi and back. The gun-toting men also thrashed some of the passengers for resisting.
Denying these accounts, Rawalpindi Superintendent of Police Ghias Gul said no such incident has taken place for the last several weeks. The robbing of five vehicles was no robbery, he said, rather a scuffle between locals which led to road blockage, and was sorted out.
“We patrol the road, which is why no such robbery has taken place for the last few weeks, and we hope no such incident will happen in the future,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2014.
Fed up with the unending series of road robberies, drivers and resident of Kotli Sathian — situated on the border of Azad Kashmir and Rawalpindi — have demanded that the police set up a permanent checkpoint to control such untoward incidents.
Talking to The Express Tribune on Sunday, drivers and passengers who are regular commuters on the route complained that robberies have become a routine matter. The failure of police to trace these robbers has emboldened them to redouble their efforts in depriving passengers of valuables.
“Robbers often block the Rawalpindi-Bagh Road by placing obstacles such as stones and tree trunks on it, and then emerge to loot passengers on gun point,” said Muhammad Nazir, a driver.
He said that several robberies had taken place in the past, but no action has been taken.
Aslam Satti, another driver who commutes between Pindi and AJK on a daily basis, said the robbers are locals who can easily be traced if the police put their intelligence network to use. Moreover, several drivers complained that when it comes to registering FIRs, the police forces from Pindi and AJK use the excuse that the area does not fall under their jurisdiction.
“A week ago when five passenger vans were looted, we contacted the Kashmir police and then the Pindi police. It took us four hours just to determine that the area falls under the latter’s jurisdiction,” said Sajid Akbar, a passenger who was robbed of Rs1,500 cash and a mobile phone.
Passengers said that while traversing curves in the road — spots where vehicles are likely to slow down or be stopped — they try desperately to stuff their valuables either inside the seats or someplace discreet to avoid looting.
“We stuff most of our money and our mobile phones inside the vehicle’s seats, and some in our pockets to avoid being beaten up by the robbers. If the robbers do not find anything, they manhandle the passengers,” said Jalal Akram, a resident of Bagh, who has been a victim of such robberies.
This trick is fast becoming obsolete too, as the robbers now check insides of seats and even tear them up with knives to check for valuables.
Citing an incident, the disgruntled victims told of five consecutive robberies in the past week where passengers of five vehicles were deprived of cash and valuables by a gang of robbers on the Bagh-Rawalpindi road near Kotli Sattian.
According to the passengers and police, four masked men forced five vehicles to stop at gun point near Mirzapur, Kotli Sattian and by use of force, made away with cash, gold ornaments, 10 cell phones and other valuables.
The passengers, mostly from the Bagh District of Azad Kashmir, were travelling to Rawalpindi and back. The gun-toting men also thrashed some of the passengers for resisting.
Denying these accounts, Rawalpindi Superintendent of Police Ghias Gul said no such incident has taken place for the last several weeks. The robbing of five vehicles was no robbery, he said, rather a scuffle between locals which led to road blockage, and was sorted out.
“We patrol the road, which is why no such robbery has taken place for the last few weeks, and we hope no such incident will happen in the future,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2014.