KARACHI: 4 policemen arrested for snatching cellphones
By S. Raza Hassan
KARACHI, Jan 3: Four policemen have been arrested for cellphone snatchings in two different cases from Landhi and Gulberg early Tuesday morning.
The Landhi police early Tuesday morning arrested two suspects later identified as policemen for committing cellphone snatchings with the assistance of an accomplice in Landhi area.
The SHO Landhi told Dawn that they had arrested three persons, two policemen and their accomplice, for their involvement in cellphone snatchings.
He said that on Dec 31, Mehmood Ali was deprived of his cellphone in 31-A Sector-4 in Landhi. He was standing near a bus stop when two persons on a motorcycle pulled up and demanded his cellphone and other belongings at gunpoint.
The SHO said that the complainant’s described features of both the suspects matched the description given by several other complainants of cellphone snatchings.
On a tip-off, the police nabbed a suspect, Munawwar Ali, from Landhi area during the interrogation. He told the police that he was associated with two policemen who snatched cellphones when he provided them information.
The SHO said Munawwar used to give missed calls to the two policemen identified as Kamran and Amir, who then used to ring him back and get information about the person bearing a good cellphone and his location.
The two policemen then reached the spot on motorcycle and snatched the cellphone at gunpoint, he said.
Both the policemen are said to be posted in the headquarters at Hasan Square B Company.
In another incident, two more policemen were apprehended red handed when they were fleeing after snatching a cellphone in Gulberg area, the police said.
A police party was patrolling the area when they were informed that two persons in a car were roaming in a suspicious manner in the area. The car was spotted and stopped near the Water Pump Chowrangi.
The two suspects were identified as Muhammad Asif, head constable, and Mujahid Aziz, constable. Police recovered three cellphones, two TT pistols and a dagger from their possession.
The two policemen belonged to the Sindh Reserve Police, Gulshan base, and were posted at the Sohrab Goth police station.
During interrogation, they confessed to have committed several armed robberies during which they had snatched cellphones.
Police suspect that the suspected policemen had also killed a youth, Farhan, in a cellphone snatching attempt in Gulberg area on January 1.
Meanwhile, 15 cellphones were reported to have been snatched while 15 others were stolen in different incidents on Monday.
SHOT DEAD: A head constable was shot dead by unknown persons in Chakiwara area on Tuesday.
Police said Riaz Malick, an old associate of SP Chaudhry Aslam, was heading to Chakiwara area along with his wife on a motorcycle when he was intercepted by unknown persons on motorcycle on the Mirza Adam Khan Road.
The suspects told him to take off his helmet and then shot him in the head before fleeing. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Officials of the recently disbanded Industrial Crime Unit (ICU) including SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan, DSP Irfan Bahadur and others came to the hospital for his identification.
Police suspect the involvement of the Rehman Dakait group in the killing.
In another incident, head constable Syed Nazar Imam was shot dead by unknown persons on motorcycle in Surjani Town late Monday night.
Police said Syed Nazar Imam was heading home at the KDA Flats, Surjani Town, in his car along with his wife and children when unknown persons intercepted his car and opened fire before fleeing.
Nazar died on the spot while his wife was injured. The deceased was posted at the Manghopir police station as head constable.
