SWABI: Unidentified robbers looted Rs5.7 million from a money exchange outlet after breaking its locks in broad daylight on Sunday.

Employees of the exchange agency said that they had gone for the afternoon prayers in a mosque in Swabi Adda area, and when they returned the locks of their office were broken.

The exchange outlet is situated close to the Swabi city police station. The employees said the robbers also took away two mobile phones and pistols.

Police officials said they were obtaining the footages of the closed-circuit television cameras installed in the market and at other points to reach the robbers.

Leaders of Anjuman-i-Dokandaran said it was responsibility of the police to provide security to traders.

They said several people had been killed since the start of Ramazan, but the police had failed to arrest the killers.

Meanwhile, it was learnt on Sunday that a majority of CCTV cameras installed at shops and trading centres in the district headquarters have not been functioning for last several months.

The traders said they installed these cameras on the directives of the police. However, they said most of the CCTV cameras had gone out of order as the traders were no more interested in repairing them because the police had also stopped asking them to maintain their footages.

A police official said it was important for every trader to install CCTV cameras at his shop for recording the daily activities. He said security cameras had proved helpful in tracing the robbers, car lifters and other petty criminals.

He said the police planned to bind each trader to install CCTV cameras at their outlets and ensured they functioned properly.

RECOVERED: The police on Sunday recovered a missing girl and arrested the boy, who had allegedly taken her away.

They said Mahaz Amin of Bakakhel Zaida had lured the girl to marry, and had taken her to an undisclosed location.

The police said the girl’s father, Nazir Mohammad, lodged a report, saying that when he woke up in the morning, his daughter was missing.

District police officer Haroon Rashid Khan had taken notice of the incident and ordered the girl’s early recovery.

A team led by Inspector Farooq Khan, in-charge of Kunda police post, and ASI Saqib Khan, traced and arrested Mahaz Amin.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024