Extortion a serious issue in Karachi: home minister

Sindh Home Minister Zia Hassan Lanjar has termed extortion a serious and alarming issue in Karachi, and assured the business community of full protection and cooperation from the government.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Karachi Police Office on Friday, the home minister said that during a recent meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, detailed discussions were held on security concerns, including land grabbing and extortion.

Lanjar said the government had received several complaints from the business community about extortion, which were being taken very seriously. He added that police had launched major crackdowns against extortionists, resulting in the killings of four suspects and injuries to three others in encounters.

He revealed that Wasiullah Lakho and Samad Kathiawari groups were operating in an organised manner from Iran and high-level action was under way against them. The home minister announced that a web portal was also being developed for the business community, allowing the traders to file complaints regarding extortion or any security threats directly. “If anyone receives a threat, they should immediately contact the police. An extortionist must be treated as an extortionist. Our top priority is to ensure maximum protection for traders,” Lanjar emphasised.

The press conference was also attended by Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon and Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho. The Karachi police chief reported that over the past two weeks, police arrested more than 20 extortionists, whereas, more than 1,100 police personnel sacrificed their lives in the fight against extortion in previous years.

According to Additional IG Odho, 118 cases of extortion and related crimes had been registered so far this year, 44 of which were pure extortion cases while the rest were related to financial disputes. He added that 43 suspects had been arrested during this period.

He, however, stated that street crime incidents in the city had decreased by 28 per cent, incidents of injuries by 27 per cent, mobile snatching by 15 per cent and motorcycle snatching by eight per cent this year.

He said all police killing cases had been traced and investigations were ybder way. On the issue of dacoits of the riverine areas, Lanjar said that if people from the Katcha (riverine) areas wished to join the national mainstream, they should be given an opportunity. He noted that the construction of Khairpur and Dadu bridges had led to a significant reduction in crime in those areas.

Meanwhile, IGP Memon said that kidnapping for ransom incidents had also declined across the province and the government had given police a free hand to take effective action against criminals.