Authorities lose face as robbers run riot across Karachi

The Sindh government and the police department’s claims of restoring peace in Karachi and reducing crimes have always been challenged and questioned, but their declaration of improving law and order in the city fell flat on its face on Wednesday as robbers ran riot across the metropolis.

Less than 24 hours after the Shahrah-e-Quaideen bank heist, a gang of robbers struck the city’s busiest business centre in the morning and made off with Rs700,000 from a private bank.

Kharadar SHO Zafar Iqbal said five men arrived at al Baraka’s Bolton Market branch at around 10am, adding that four of them entered the bank while the fifth stood guard outside. Iqbal said that the men had arrived on motorcycles and that all of them were either helmeted or wearing a mask to conceal their identities.

Even though the police have obtained the CCTV camera footage of the robbery, the culprits cannot be identified because of their helmets and masks, he added. “We are trying to retrieve footage from cameras installed along the route used by the suspects.”

The SHO said the robbers had brought a bag for collecting cash and valuables, adding that the gang also made off with the weapon of the security guard posted outside the bank.

City SSP Adeel Chandio told The News that the suspects had taken the bank’s guards and staffers hostage and made away with Rs700,000 in cash. Harking back to the Napier Road heist, he vowed that the case would be solved within 24 hours.

On August 1 three robbers had made off with Rs675,000 in cash and some gold from a private bank on Napier Road, but the next day the police claimed arresting nine people involved in the heist and recovering the looted items from them.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Unit has released pictures of the robbers involved in three previous bank heists. The unit’s SSP Tariq Dharejo announced reward of Rs 500,000 rupees for those who helped police in tracing out the culprits behind.

A string of orders

Two bank robberies within a span of 24 hours caused unrest in the provincial administration, as an irate chief minister sought a report – again – from the city police chief.

The CM questioned the performance of the police intelligence network. He also ordered security audit of banks and markets across the metropolis, and sought a compliance report.

The home minister also took notice of Wednesday’s heist and sought a report from the DIG of the South Range. He ordered arresting the gang involved in the robbery and increasing snap checking across the city.

And then the provincial police chief took notice of the heist and sought a comprehensive report from the South DIG. He and the city police chief both directed the Crime Investigation Agency DIG to ensure arresting the gang involved in the robbery.  

Two muggings

Even though the home minister had suspended two DSPs and seven SHOs for failing to curb street crime, a man lost his life and two others were injured by unchecked muggers.

A 25-year-old man who was shot and injured while resisting a snatching bid on Maulvi Usman Road on Tuesday night succumbed to his wounds on Wednesday morning.

Kalakot SHO Ghulam Yaseen said two motorcyclists attempted to rob Umair Sarwar of his phone and money, but he tried to run away, adding that he was shot once in the chest and taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Police officials told The News that two more men suffered bullet wounds in separate incidents of mugging on Wednesday in Gulzar-e-Hijri Colony and the Dalmia locality.

Korangi Industrial Area SHO Pervez Gujjar said Muhammad Azeem was on his way home after withdrawing cash from a bank in Korangi when he was intercepted near a clinic in Gulzar-e-Hijri Colony.

Gujjar said the suspects had been following Azeem, who was carrying Rs200,000 from the bank, adding that when the man resisted the mugging attempt, he was shot in the hand and later taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

In another incident, narrated by Aziz Bhatti SHO Chaudhry Yaseen, 62-year-old Fateh Muhammad was returning home from a bank in Saddar when he was intercepted on Street No 15 in Dalmia.

The SHO said the suspects had been following the intending pilgrim from the bank, adding that he was shot in the foot for resisting the mugging, following which the robbers made off with his bag in which he was carrying cash.