At least 4553 two-wheelers and 169 four-wheelers were stolen in Karachi in September, Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) stats show. According to the CPLC, 19 cars were snatched while 169 were stolen in September, while 58 of the stolen/snatched cars were recovered by the police. In September 427 motorbikes were snatched and another 4553 were stolen, the CPLC stats show. A total of 282 bikes were recovered in the month, it added. Additionally, 2446 people were deprived of their mobile phones, out of which 46 were recovered, the CPLC added. It added that 56 people were killed in multiple incidents while one bank robbery was also reported in September. However, the Anti Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) arrested at least 4,211 vehicle lifters from over 212 different gangs in Karachi, Superintendent of Police (SP) Tariq Nawaz told the press.

At least 24 alleged vehicle thieves were arrested after being injured in 19 police encounters, while five were reported dead in the encounters. The SP told that the AVLC recovered 3015 stolen motorbikes, and 462 cars in the nine months of 2022. However, the crime rate has come down after the arrest of over 4000 street criminals, he claimed. He added that multiple new and existing gangs are stealing vehicles in Karachi. The police are trying their best to identify and arrest the gangs, Taqir added. The SP said that most bike thieves are local groups and drug addicts, while car lifting gangs are mostly operated from other parts of the country. Cars stolen from Karachi are sold in Balochistan and other provinces, he added. The AVLC on September 23, 2022, busted an inter-provincial gang involved in stealing and snatching motorbikes from different areas of Karachi and selling them in Balochistan.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP