Sarafa Bazaar traders protest against robberies

Rawalpindi
The worst kind of traffic jam was witnessed as angry protesters of Sarafa Bazaar burnt tyres and blocked Benazir Bhutto Road for many hours here on Monday.
The angry traders of Sarafa Bazaar along with their families (ladies and children) strongly protested against ever-increasing dacoity cases in the Sarafa Bazaar.
The protesters raised slogans against local administration as well as police for failing to make a single arrest for the last couple of months. The protesters said that city police has literally failed to control law and order situation therefore robbers robbing shops, houses and even pedestrians in day light.
The protesters along with their families burnt tyres and lied down at the road to suspend all kinds of traffic for a long time.
When police tried to intervene, the demonstrators used harsh words against police officials. City Police tried to disperse the angry mob, but failed to disperse the crowd till the filing of this report.
According to enraged protesters including Muhammad Nouman Butt, Muhammad Asif, Pir Banaras, Yasmeen Sultana, Fatima Noor, Mumtaz Bibi, Mian Muhammad Azhar and several others that there was a sense of fear and panic prevailing among business community because of ever increasing incidents of robberies in Sarafa Bazaar.
“Businessmen in Sarafa Bazaar suffered four dacoities in space of two months in which robbers looted million of rupees worth of gold, they claimed.
They said that robbers looted cash and valuables worth millions in separate raids.
In the first incident three unidentified men looted a jeweler’s shop situated at Sarafa Bazaar in which they looted ornaments worth of Rs25 million. The second incident took place at the same bazaar and four men robbed cash and other valuables from a shop. Similarly, two other incidents of robbing happened some days back, they claimed.
The protesters warned that they will besiege Parliament House for a sit-in if police did not arrest robbers.
High-ranking police officials including Malik Karamat, a senior police officer and district administration officials pacified the protesters and assured them that the criminals would be caught. But the strike was not ended even after assurances of the officials till the filing of this report.
A government official named Aijaz Ahmed who was also participated in protest demonstration was robbed of valuables worth Rs500,000 by robbers.
Shabbir Ahmed, a resident of Waris Khan was deprived of his vehicle by car snatchers at Faizabad. He was also protesting against police adding police have completely failed to improve law and order situation.