KARACHI: The year 2020 witnessed a rise in car lifting, snatching of motorbikes and mobile phones and theft of two-wheelers compared to 2019. Moreover, the police registered FIRs of street crimes more than past several years in an attempt to pursue the cases, officials and sources said on Saturday.

However, snatching of cars, kidnapping for ransom, extortion and bank robberies decreased during the same period.

According to crime statistics compiled by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), 1,452 cars were stolen in 2019 and 1,527 in 2020.

Similarly, 1,897 two-wheelers were hijacked in 2019 but 2,431 motorbikes were snatched in 2020.

A total of 28,609 motorcycles were stolen in 2019, which climbed to 34,908 in 2020.

The number of mobile phones snatched in 2019 was 19,862 against 21,578 snatched in 2020.

Eleven persons were kidnapped in 2019 but in 2020 only three incidents of kidnapping for ransom were reported.

This was considered as a significant reduction in the organised crime category after launching of a targeted operation in Karachi in September 2013. As the CPLC data showed 115 persons were kidnapped for ransom in 2014.

Kidnappings, extortion, bank robberies decreased in the year

Similarly, bhatta (extortion) has also registered a decrease as 32 incidents of extortion were reported in 2019, which came down to 22 in 2020.

It was pointed out that in 2014, 937 cases of bhatta were reported.

Bank robberies also reduced as three incidents of robbing of banks were reported in 2019 and in 2020, only one incident of bank robbery took place. The data showed that in 2014, 19 incidents of bank robberies took place.

385 murders

The CPLC data showed that 363 people were killed in 2019 for various reasons while 385 persons were murdered in 2020. But in 2014, 1,629 people were killed.

Additional Inspector General of Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon said that organised crime like kidnapping, targeted killing, extortion and terrorism had decreased significantly as in 2013 as many as 2,800 people were killed, which means eight murders a day that had been brought down to 1.3 murders a day. Kidnapping for ransom was “almost nil” as cases of kidnapping of two girls, Bisma and Dua Mangi, were traced last year and only one case was outstanding.

The city police chief admitted that in street crime, motorbike theft and house robberies were major challenges. Mostly drug addicts were involved, particularly in lifting of bikes as they sold the same for Rs5,000-Rs10,000 only.

“We have focused on narcotics as part of a strategy to control street crimes as raids are being conducted at dens and peddlers being arrested as the police have prepared a list of 1,200 peddlers in the city,” said Mr Memon.

After every 15 days, performance of the police was being assessed against narcotics.

Besides, major reasons of acquittals have been addressed. The city police chief recalled a major reason for acquittals and bail of criminals was “delayed” FIRs as SHOs avoided showing an increase of crimes in their respective area to avoid being reprimanded by high-ups, but now the SHOs have been encouraged to register FIRs immediately for early detection of the crimes.

A second major reason for acquittals, particularly of drug peddlers, was that seized narcotics were being sent to the chemical examiner very late. That has also been addressed and, resultantly, the criminals are being convicted by model courts for narcotics set up last year in the metropolis.

Moreover, Madadgar-15 response has been improved significantly as they respond within minutes. The city police chief said that major gangs of house robberies have also been traced and busted.

Proposals

CPLC chief Zubair Habib said that they have made 2014 as a “datum line” for assessing crimes in the metropolis, which indicated a significant reduction in homicides as over 1,600 people killed in that year, which has now been reduced to 385. He recalled that in crime index, Karachi was at number of 26 in 2016 but it was at number 103 in 2020, indicating a significant increase in terms of safety.

Mr Habib said the use of guns in street crimes has been decreasing as compared to the past as snatching incidents were being reduced. He said most lifted vehicles were being taken to Balochistan. He suggested at least eight to 10 interchanges should be set up on Northern Bypass on the pattern of motorways as at present there was no interchange on the bypass, which was being used by criminals to take vehicles to Balochistan.

He said the theft element in street crimes was increasing partly because of joblessness that might have been compounded because of Covid-19. He said the “White Corolla gang” has been busted, which recently carried out 15 house robberies in DHA and Clifton.

The CPLC chief said Khamiso Goth in New Karachi has emerged as a major point of the illicit drug trade where police have taken action and similar actions in other parts of the city may help control street crimes. He regretted there was a time when Madadgar-15 did not respond to the citizens’ complaints about crimes. For example when the son of the then chief justice of the Sindh High Court was kidnapped, Madadgar-15 did not respond but now with efforts of the police and the CPLC, Madadgar-15 responds within seven minutes and this response time would be reduced further.

The CPLC head said it was a good initiative that the city police has decided to register FIRs immediately since September 2020 to address the people’s grievances. He said that in Sept 2019, 5,000 FIRs were registered but 8,800 FIRs were registered in Sept 2020 after the police’s initiative.

Published in Dawn, Jannuary 3rd, 2021