Teams formed to recover reporters’ snatched motorbikes, mobile phones

In view of the incidents in which Karachi’s crime reporters themselves fell victim to street crime, the city’s police chief has formed separate special teams to recover the snatched vehicles and other properties of the journalists. However, this correspondent, who was also among the 10 crime reporters who were robbed at gunpoint, has been left out.

Additional IGP Dr Amir Shaikh has formed six special teams to investigate the cases of street crime concerning the crime reporters in Karachi’s East, West and South zones.

West Zone police chief DIG Muhammad Amin Yousufzai is the chairman and District Central SSP Rao Arif Aslam and Anti-Car Lifting Cell SSP Amjad Shaikh are the members of the team formed to look into the case of senior crime reporter Shakeel Anjum Lashari.

Lashari was deprived of his Honda CD-70 motorcycle of 1999 model and bearing registration No. BRG-5861 on January 29 from Nusrat Bhutto Colony, in the Shahrah-e-Noorjahan police limits.

The same team will also look into the cases of Omair Ali Anjum and Saulat Jafri, who had lost their valuables in the Federal B Area. The team has been told to make all-out efforts to investigate the incident, identify and arrest the suspects and recover the stolen properties. A detailed progress report is to be submitted to the city police chief’s office within a week.

In the case of the snatching of a mobile phone, wrist watch and cash from senior reporter and ARY News anchorman Kamil Arif in a Shahrah-e-Noorjahan police area, DIG Yousufzai, SSP Aslam and West-II Investigation SSP Tariq Nawaz are part of the special team.

DIG Yousufzai is also part of another team, with District West SSP Shaukat Khatyan and West Investigation-I SSP Abid Baloch, formed to investigate the case of the snatching of a mobile phone from Aap News reporter Muhammad Kamran in the Surjani police limits.

East Zone DIG Amir Farooqui is heading the team formed to look into the matter of senior crime reporter Asif Ali Syed, whose car was stolen from outside his residence in the Sachal police limits. District Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur and SSP Shaikh will assist Farooqui.

DIG Farooqui is also part of another team, with District East SSP Ghulam Azfar Mahesar and SSP Shaikh, formed to look into the cases of Public News reporter Bilal Khan, Dunya News reporter Shoaib Bukhari and Metro1 News reporter Shahrukh Khan.

South Zone DIG Sharjeel Kareem Kheral is heading the team formed to investigate the snatching bid from Dawn TV crime desk head Imran Hafeez. District City SSP Muqaddas Haider and South Investigation-II SP Sumair Noor Channa will assist Kheral.

A statement issued by the Karachi police spokesperson said a meeting was held between the police chief and the Crime Reporters Association’s (CRA) office-bearers to discuss the street crime incidents.

The police chief assured the CRA of their complete cooperation, and said the police were ready to render any sacrifice for the sake of the people.

The CRA’s Taha Obaidi said that this correspondent’s matter was also raised in the meeting, while the police spokesperson told The News that he would review the list of the reporters received by the police and the relevant committee will be asked for a follow-up regarding the recovery of this correspondent’s motorcycle.