Seven shops at mall in Shah Faisal Town burglarised

Hitherto unidentified robbers broke into seven shops at a mall in Shah Faisal Town in the wee hours of Monday and made off with cash and other valuables.

Al Falah police said the suspects forced the lock on Naveed Shopping Centre – which deals in garments and other products – in Shamsi Society and burgled seven shops.

SSP Noman Siddique of the Korangi Division said police mobiles rushed to the scene of the crime after being informed of the burglary and met with the administration of the shopping mall.

Investigators found that the entire marketplace was left unprotected in the absence of any security guards, which the criminals took advantage of.

However, some CCTV cameras installed inside the mall captured the whole incident and the investigating teams are trying to make the most of them.

The affected traders told the police that between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 in cash were robbed from their shops. Police have registered an FIR of the incident and are conducting investigations.

Sindh police chief AD Khowaja has taken notice of the robbery and sought a detailed report from DIG East Range Arif Hanif.

Khowaja also directed SSP Siddique to ensure the security of the shopkeepers and to take effective measures to put an end to robberies in his jurisdiction.

A day earlier, an alleged robber was gunned down in an encounter with the Quaidabad police. The SHO said policemen were on a watch near the Star Ground area when a man informed them of having been robbed.

The law enforcers chased the fleeing suspects and were met with armed resistance. The retaliatory fire led to a brief encounter which resulted in injuries to one suspect, while his accomplice escaped.

Identified as Zafar Ali, the injured was pronounced dead on arrival at the Jinnah hospital. A 30 bore pistol and Rs8,000 in cash were reported to have been found on him.