Robberies in Peshawar on the rise

PESHAWAR: Robbers and snatchers had a field day on Wednesday in the provincial capital as several crimes were reported.

Mohammad Irfan, 28, was riding a motorbike along with two other friends, Muhammad Aamir and Rasheed, when intercepted by two armed robbers travelling in a car. The robbers managed to snatch cellphones and cash and opened fire when Irfan offered resistance. The armed men also tortured the two others on the bike. The robbers escaped while Irfan was taken to hospital where he lost the battle for life.

In another incident near Gulbahar, armed robbers snatched a motorbike from one Khalid, hailing from Chitral. A soldier and a traffic police sergeant, however, foiled another robbery on the Mufti Mahmood Flyover. It was learnt that a soldier Shamsul Haq had collected Rs1.2 million from a local bank and was on his way when two armed motorcyclists attempted to snatch the cash from him. The soldier, however, threw the bag from the bridge. A traffic sergeant Mohammad Shahid collected the bag and also fired warning shots in the air. The robbers escaped after the firing while the official handed over the bag to the soldier at the Traffic Headquarters.

Meanwhile, Rs170,000 along with 8 tolas of gold and two cellphones were looted from the house of one Ameer Nawaz in Zangali area. The incidents of robberies, snatching, theft and burglaries are once again on the rise as police have failed to tighten the noose around the gangs involved. The local police recently claimed to have busted a large number of gangs involved in street crimes.