People decry rising thefts in Kohat Road villages

PESHAWAR: Increasing thefts have made life miserable for the residents of the Kohat Road from Badaber to Mattani while police and other law-enforcing agencies have failed to take stern action against the thieves and robbers. The people of Zangali, Mashogagar,Maryamzai,Mattani and other villages have lodged repeated complaints but the law enforcers remain unmoved. “We spend nights these days on the rooftops to serve as the watchmen for our houses. The thieves have caused terror,” said Asfandyar Khan, a resident of Aslamabad. The residents resort to aerial firing at night to show that they are awake. In some cases, they open fire when they notice some suspicious movement. Some reports suggested that several gangs of thieves and robbers have become active. "They roamed in groups and sneaked into the houses. Wherever they face resistance, they even exchange gunfire with inmates of the house they break into," said Maaz Afridi. Several incidents of motorbike snatching, mobile snatching and robberieswere reported onWednesday night. A local cleric was deprived of a motorcycle, mobile phone and some cash while he was on his way home from a mosque in Umerabad area on the main Kohat Road after the Isha prayers. In another incident, Ali, a shopkeeper, was present in his shop in the evening in Mohammad Noor Killay, when two motorcyclists pointed guns at him and deprived him of the cash and mobile phone. Interestingly, the local police never registered any robbery and theft cases nor did they take any action to protect the local people. The residents accused the police of being lenient to the issue. One Mohammad Zubair said that police launched a search operation in the entire area and collected all the weapons from the people and several days later thieves became active to make life hell for the people. The local people have demanded Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari to take notice of the situation and order steps for the protection of the lives and properties of the people.