PU a hotspot for motorbike thefts

A total of 40 incidents of motorbike theft occurred in the Punjab University.

LAHORE: Forty of a total of 52 incidents of motorbike theft that took place in the Muslim Town police station jurisdiction occurred in the Punjab University (PU), The Express Tribune has learnt.

The police have not been able to recover or even complete investigation in a single case of theft.

According to the records at the police station, most of the bikes were reported stolen from places close to the hostels. Another hot spot is the main road in front of the university’s Institute of Business Administration and Institute of Communication Sciences (ICS).

Javid Sami, the university’s resident officer, while talking to The Express Tribune said that the thefts were students’ fault who were reluctant to park their bikes in the allocated bike stands in order to save Rs5. “The administration is not responsible for any motorcycle parked at any place other than the designated bike stand,” Sami said. He added that the administration had sent a summary to all the departments, telling them to hire a person to ensure security at all bike stands.

Ahmed Dastagir, a prospective student of the ICS, said that he had brought his brand new, unregistered bike to the university when he came for an interview. “While I was waiting to be called in for the interview, somebody stole my bike,” he said. Dastagir said that he had immediately informed the university authorities as well as the police but nothing came out if it. “When I went to the Muslim Town police station, the police refused to cooperate. I was told that in order to get an FIR registered, I had to identify the culprit,” he added.

Shahid Rehman, the father of a student, Saeed Shahid, said that his son’s motorbike was stolen from behind of the chemistry department building. Rehman, too, said that he had rushed to the police station, where the police refused to register an FIR. “Only after I got a call made from an ‘influential person’ did they register an FIR. After that we had to go to the CIA office to bring the theft on their record,” the tired father said. Mohsin Ali, another victim of bike theft, said that the varsity administration tried to wash its hands off the responsibility “by making lame excuses”. “It is the duty of the administration to provide security. Students will only be able to focus on their studies if they do not have to worry about their possessions,” Ali said. He added that the students did not park their motorbikes at the designated stands the two parking areas were located at two extreme ends of the campus. “One of the parking spots is near Gate no.2 and the other near the Shaikh Zayed Islamic Centre. They are so away that the students prefer not to park their vehicles there,” Ali said.

Nadeem, an employee, said that his bike was stolen from outside the gym. “I had gone in for only 15 minutes!” he said. He added that it was very disappointing that such incidents took place even though there were around 300 guards employed by the PU for security.

M Idrees, the sub inspector (Investigation) said that no one had been arrested in connection with the theft incidents on the university premises. He said that police has not devised any such special strategy to apprehend the culprits.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2010.