ACLC busts gang of motorbike snatchers

The Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) on Thursday claimed to have busted a gang of motorbike racers involved in different crimes, particularly snatching two-wheelers. Its members were arrested during a raid in the Shahrah-e-Quaideen locality.

Their arrests were disclosed during a news conference at the ACLC office. The arrested gang members were identified as Omair Riaz; Kamran, alias Pathan; Hamza Riaz and Koreeb Yousuf.

ACLC chief SSP Munir Shaikh informed the media that the gang, named SH1 Racers Group, comprised at least six members and that the remaining two would be arrested soon. He said that a special team had been formed in view of rising street crime.

The officer said Omair is a motorbike mechanic and each of the suspects has his own custom two-wheeler, adding that the gang snatched new bikes and sold them after fitting the chassis of older vehicles. SSP Shaikh said a video clip had recently gone viral on social media that showed the gang robbing a bakery in Azizabad. He said the suspects admitted to committing street crime 10 to 12 times a month, hundreds of such incidents to date.

The officer said the gang had sold some 400 motorbikes to a man named Saleem in Khuzdar after snatching them from different parts of Karachi, including the Sohrab Goth, Nagan Chowrangi, Sakhi Hassan and Five Star Chowrangi areas.

Regarding the bakery robbery, Shaikh said the gang looted around Rs45,000 in cash and three mobile phones on November 3. The police claimed to have recovered weapons, ammunition and motorbikes in the raid.  

Drug smuggling

The ACLC also claimed to have arrested three men from the Northern Bypass for their involvement in drug smuggling. The suspects were identified as Omar Nadeem, Abid Ghulam and Ali Raza. The SSP said they found 50kg of fine quality hashish on them.  

Rangers arrest two

The Sindh Rangers claimed to have arrested two men in raids conducted in the Saeedabad and Civil Lines localities. The suspects were identified as Raju and Mirza Naseeb Baig, alias Rizwan Chapati.

A spokesman for the paramilitary force said the men were involved in different crimes, including possession of illegal arms and ammunition. The suspects have been handed over to the police for further action.

Police nab 366

A spokesperson for the Sindh police claimed that 366 suspects have been arrested across the province during raids, encounters, patrolling and snap checking in the past 24 hours.