KARACHI, March 5: The incidence of street crimes reached its peak during February 2008, as a record number of vehicles and cellular phones were taken away across the city.

Figures collated by Dawn from the police and Citizens-Police Liaison Committee showed that as many as 4,650 mobile phones, 1,094 motorcycles and 533 automobiles were taken away in the 29 days of February.

In the 2,742 armed hold-ups across the city during the month in review, bandits deprived their victims of 2,220 cellular phones, 374 motorcycles and 148 cars at gunpoint. On average, 91 armed hold-ups involving vehicles and mobile phones were committed daily in parts of the city.

Of the 374 bikes that were snatched at gunpoint, the bandits also deprived the victims of their cellphones, cash and personal belongings. Another 726 motorcycles were stolen.

Saddar Town stood first in the incidence of stolen motorcycles during the month in review as 142 bikes were stolen and 39 others were snatched by armed bandits. Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town was second with 72 stolen and 38 snatched bikes, followed by New Karachi Town where 67 bikes were stolen and 37 others snatched.

While the incidence of snatching and stealing of motorcycles increased by 43 per cent during 2007, the menace seems to be more alarming this year. Almost 2,000 bikes were stolen in the first two months of the current year as compared to 1,139 stolen in the corresponding period last year.

Deputy chief of the CPLC Mohammed Hanif Moosa told Dawn that the number of stolen bikes surged to four figures for the first time in September 2007, during which time a record number of 1,224 bikes were stolen and snatched. “The situation started getting worse after the abolishment of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC), which was a centralized investigating arm of the police to deal with the menace,” he added.

He said that on average, 511 bikes were stolen in a month during 2002, while the monthly average of stolen and snatched motorcycles remained up to 585 till 2006. “This year the average has almost doubled,” he added.

He said the incidence of street crimes was already showing an increasing trend as 243 vehicles – 145 bikes and 78 cars – were taken away during the first three days of the current month, while 148 vehicles – 95 bikes and 53 cars – were taken away in the first three days of February.

Like in the incidence of bike stealing, Saddar Town again stood first in the cellphone robbery and theft cases.

Figures showed that a total of 711 cellphones were taken away in the crime-infested town, 320 of them at gunpoint. Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town stood second with 296 cases of snatching and 290 cases of theft, followed by Jamshed Town (179 and 178) and North Nazimabad (172 and 103).

The occurrence of carjacking also increased during the month in review as a total of 533 automobiles were taken away, 149 of them at gunpoint, as compared to 472 vehicles taken away in January.

Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town once again stood first in the incidence of carjacking as 119 cars were either stolen or snatched at gunpoint in parts of the town, also comprising the vicinity of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. The second most volatile town was Clifton where 72 vehicles were taken away, followed by Jamshed Town (66), North Nazimabad (48), Gulberg (47), Shah Faisal Colony (38), Saddar (31), Liaquatabad (21), New Karachi (20), Bin Qasim (17) and Gadap (14).

Criminals did not sit idle even on Feb 18 when the nation went to the polls as they took away 98 cellular phones, 19 motorcycles and six cars. In 35 armed hold-ups committed on polling day, the bandits snatched at gunpoint 31 cellular phones, four motorcycles and one car.