KARACHI, June 16: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Saturday that a system called ‘SIM card locator’ was being installed by the police to trace extortionists and criminals involved in sending death threats to traders over non-payment of extortion.

The system will help police in locating hideouts of criminals and take prompt action against them, he said at a media briefing at the New Sindh Secretariat Building.

He said the government would share further details about the SIM card locating system at a press briefing in a couple of days. The Sindh Government had activated its two complaint cells, one at the Chief Minister’s House and the other at the IG office, whose numbers were given to traders.

The complaint cell at the CM house would be supervised by three members — a minister, a senior police officer and a trader — who would observe the entire complaint processing system on behalf of the business community.

He said the meeting decided that the chief minister would hold a meeting with traders every month and the IG would meet them every Friday to know their problems.

Mr Memon said the government had also asked the traders to testify in court against extortionists when required.

The minister claimed that some people were using paid criminals to settle personal scores, and said such incidents should not be labelled as targeted killings.

He denied that any political party had approached the PPP to get released some criminals, and said the government would not do it in any case.—PPI

Arms licences for traders

Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah ordered the relevant officials on Saturday to issue arms licences to traders through their representative bodies, adds our staff reporter.

Mr Shah issued this order during a meeting with a traders’ delegation that called on him at the Chief Minister’s House to voice their concerns over growing extortion and killing of traders and to demand the lincences.

The chief minister also announced that the government would pay compensation to the heirs of traders and businessmen targeted by extortionists, and the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad would furnish details of such victims.

He also directed the police that staff at pickets and police posts not be shifted away without consulting trade bodies.

He said a committee, comprising the IG, DG Rangers and additional chief secretary for the home department, would be formed to consider and implement the proposals given by the traders’ delegation.

Earlier, Atiq Mir presented the trade body’s demands and proposals for improvement of the situation.

IG Mushtaq Shah informed the meeting that 500 policemen had been brought in to the city from other parts of the province, and that the number of personnel at various police pickets would be increased, particularly in the old city areas. He said 1,000 surveillance cameras, currently being tested, would be installed at key places in a few days.

The Rangers’ Brig Rafique Khan said seven crime reporting centres, including one each in Landhi, Korangi, Bin Qasim, Nazimabad and two in SITE, had been set up and 33 complaints had been received between October 2011 and March 2012 and all had been addressed. He said 11 extortionists had been caught between June 1 and June 16 and a big quantity of arms and ammunition seized.

The meeting, presided over by Mr Shah, was also attended by CM’s secretary Agha Jan Akhtar and All Karachi Tajir Ittehad’s Jameel Paracha, Ansar Baig, Ahmed Shamsi, Sharjeel Goplani, Sabir Fancy, Zubair Khan and Ismail Lalporia.