Street crimes in Karachi on the rise as above 9,000 phones, 700 cars stolen in a year

KARACHI: More than 9,000 mobile phones were stolen at gunpoint between January and July 2020 in the city, compared to 8,517 phones last year, according to data released by the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

According to a CPLC report, 9,224 mobile phones were stolen in Karachi in the last seven months whereas 8,517 were stolen during the same period in 2019.

Two incidences of extortion and as many bank robberies were reported during the year.

Around 1,026 motorcycles were stolen while the number of cars stolen/snatched amounted to 763 during the last six months.

The data further showed that Rangers were targeted in two separate incidents on June 10 in Gulistan-e-Johar and Quaidabad, while police officers were killed on July 3 and 11 in the city’s Manzoor Colony and Korangi.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange was attacked on June 29 in which five security officials were killed and four militants killed.

To counter the rising crime and attacks in the city, the government made 12 more task forces, taking the number to 21. These task forces have been assigned to take immediate action against crimes in the city.