Pakistan: Street crime continues unabated in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], March 30 (ANI): Robbers and thieves are running amok in the garrison city of Rawalpindi as 89 cases were reported to police in which 29 people lost their motorcycles, 42 mobile phones and gold jewellery worth over Rs 3.5 million, reported Dawn.

All cases were registered with the police and an investigation was launched, however, street crime continued unabated in the city. Mubeen Sajid complained to Rawat police that unidentified burglars broke into his house when he had gone to offer Isha prayer and stole gold jewellery worth Rs 1,225,000, while Amad Naseeb lodged a similar complaint with the Saddar Bairooni police saying that burglars broke into his house and stole gold jewellery worth Rs 21,00,000, reported Dawn.

Mohammad Zafar, a resident of Gujar Khan complained to police that some burglars broke into his house and stole gold jewellery, prize bonds and cash worth Rs 1,484,000 while Mohammad Siddique lodged a similar complaint saying that he was deprived of cash, gold jewellery and a mobile phone worth Rs 192,000.

Similar incidents of burglary took place in Race Course where the resident was robbed off gold jewellery worth Rs725,000 and Rs200,000 in cash and robbers in Khayaban-i-Sir Syed robbed Rs 200,000 and a mobile phone, reported Dawn.

Even the capital city, Islamabad is not safe. Culprits shot and injured two persons during separate robberies in the capital, police said on Wednesday.

In the first incident, a gang of robbers shot and injured a man during a robbery at Sangjani Toll Plaza, the police said, adding that the injured was identified as Mohammad Sadam, a resident of Risalpur, reported Dawn.

In a similar incident, a culprit shot and injured an area in charge of the Basic Health Unit at Gulberg Green, the police said adding that the injured was identified as Malik Usman.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Kanju on Monday admitted that the street crime rate has increased in Islamabad, Dawn reported.

According to a Pakistani newspaper, Kanju claimed that the increase in the population has led to a spike in street crime cases.

The minister made these comments while responding to a calling attention notice, moved by PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Asiya Azeem regarding the increase in crimes against women in Islamabad, Dawn reported.

Giving details about the measures that the Pakistan government has taken to control crime, Interior Minister said that Eagle Squad had been formed to patrol streets on motorcycles, claiming that there had been a significant decline in the crime rate since the formation of the squad.