One dead as robbers hit Martin Quarters second time in a week

SP blames rising home invasions on lack of manpower
spent on securing frequent political activities

Despite police’s claims of arresting three people involved in last week’s ghastly house robbery in which an entire family was injured by robbers, a man died on Wednesday in the second burglary reported in Martin Quarters within a week.  

The deceased, identified as 60-year-old Haider Raza, died after he jumped off one of the windowpanes in a bid to chase the robbers.

SHO Jamshaid Quarters police station, Inam Junejo, said three robbers entered the house situated near the Noori Shah shrine on Jahangir Road at around 3:45am after cutting through the main gate’s locks.

The family had gone for an outing leaving Raza behind to guard the house over concerns of increasing robberies in the area, the SHO added.

“Assuming no one’s home, the robbers started cleaning up cash and jewellery locked in the cupboards, but Raza woke up and caught them red-handed,” SHO Junejo said. “On being confronted by the 60-year-old, the robbers pushed the man to the wall and dashed towards the windowpanes to escape.”

“In a bid to chase the robbers, Raza fell off the windowpane and received a fatal head injury,” the SHO claimed.

An FIR was registered by the police against three unidentified men on the complaint of the deceased’s son, Umair.

Speaking to The News, SP Jamshed Quarters Dr Rizwan Ahmed claimed the police had made a breakthrough in the May 11 Martin Quarter robbery case, and had arrested three suspects.

According to the SP the robbers were being interrogated and he was hopeful that the case would soon be solved.

Commenting on rising robbery incidents in the town, Dr Ahmed said both the robberies differed from each other in that the robbers in the first incident were Seraiki speaking, while Wednesday’s robbery was carried out by Afghans, he claimed.

The SP added that the police was also looking into the sectarian aspect since the family injured in the May 11 robbery belonged to the Shia sect.

The SP also said he was facing a lack of manpower as the assigned workforce for keeping a check on the town’s law and order situation is not sufficient. To top that, frequent political activities in the jurisdiction have rendered effective policing in the area impossible.

“Several police officers had been deployed on security for an international wrestling event taking place at the KMC Sports Complex on Wednesday, whereas a few days ago, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had staged a sit-in against the federal government at the People’s Chowrangi. The Pak Sarzameen Party’s May 14 rally had also disturbed the situation in the area,” the SP stated.

“If the entire force is busy securing these events, how would it be possible to provide security to the residents of the town?” the SP questioned. However, he hoped the situation would improve with the induction of 20,000 cops in the Sindh Police force in the coming days.     

Concluding the conversation, the SP added that the police is going to launch a crackdown against Afghan nationals in the town to nab the culprits involved in the robbery.

On May 11, a family of five was shot and injured by two robbers after they put up resistance during a burglary at their house in Martin Quarters.