Pakistan: Karachi police chief replaced amid surge in street crimes

Karachi [Pakistan], April 17 (ANI): The Sindh government has opted to replace Karachi’s police chief in response to a notable uptick in street crimes within the city, as per reports by ARY News, citing sources.

Following a mere 15-day tenure, Additional IG Karachi Imran Yaqoob finds himself being replaced by the incoming fourth consecutive PPP government.

Javed Alam Odhu, a former Karachi police chief, emerges as the frontrunner for Yaqoob’s position.

This decision comes after the caretaker Sindh government appointed Khadim Hussain Rind as Karachi’s new Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) back in September 2023, ARY News reported.

During a recent presentation to the Chief Minister, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Riffat Mukhtar highlighted concerning statistics. Over the past two months, 23 fatalities occurred during robberies, with 3953 mobile phones, 46 four-wheelers, and 1537 two-wheelers reported as snatched.

In response to inquiries, the IGP informed the CM that street crimes are disproportionately concentrated within the jurisdictions of 22 specific police stations in Karachi.

Prompted by this revelation, the CM urged the IGP to furnish a roster of these vulnerable police stations and to pinpoint hotspots, emphasizing the need for dedicated attention to these areas.

Murad Ali Shah, in a directive to the city’s police chief, emphasised the importance of increased police presence during the evening hours.

Acknowledging that street crimes primarily occur after sunset, he tasked the police with ensuring heightened visibility on the roads to curb such incidents, ARY News reported.

Notably, during Ramzan 2024, Karachi witnessed a surge in crime, with 19 fatalities and 55 injuries resulting from resistance to robberies, according to an earlier report by ARY News.

A police official disclosed that armed robbers were responsible for the deaths of 19 citizens in Karachi during robbery attempts.

This year, the city has seen a notable escalation in robbery-related fatalities, totalling 56, with over 200 individuals injured thus far. In comparison, the corresponding period last year saw 25 fatalities and 110 injuries due to resistance against robberies. In 2023, the figures were alarmingly higher, with 108 deaths and 469 injuries resulting from similar circumstances.

Karachi police have engaged in 425 shootouts with robbers this year, resulting in 55 dacoits being neutralised and 439 sustaining injuries. According to a report by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), the first three months of 2024 saw 22,627 reported crimes, including 59 fatalities and over 700 injuries stemming from robbery resistance.

Additionally, 373 cars, 15,968 motorbikes, and 6,102 mobile phones were reported stolen or snatched during this period. The CPLC report also documented 25 extortion incidents and five cases of kidnapping for ransom in Karachi, ARY News reported.