Police Failed In Controlling Robbery, Snatching On Gun-point, Firing On Innocent Citizens’ Cases

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Apr, 2024) Police have failed in controlling broad-day robbery cases even on the Eid days wherein an incident of robbery happened with a citizen near Gulbahar No. 4 Lakki Mosque here on Thursday.

The robbers escaped by snatching the mobile phone from the citizen as was witnessed during the CCTV video. The video came to light from the CCTV camera installed in the street. Still no action has been taken by the Police.

It is clearly witnessed in the CCTV video that a man was robbed of cash, mobile phone at gunpoint in Gulbahar No. 4 near Lakki Masjid area. Armed motorcyclists intercepted him while he was in the street going to his home and a mobile phone and other valuables had been taken. It is not clear yet that either Police registered the case against the robber.

Street criminals are operating in all the urban and suburban towns, including the provincial capital daily, without any fear. Violent robbers opened fire on the victims in a number of incidents to punish them for offering resistance and spreading terror in the area. Many of the victims have lost lives while several sustained injuries after the violent crimes are on their peak for the last many months.

In most of the incidents robbers opened fire, killing the innocent citizens with robberies, snatching, motorbike snatching and bikes lifting incidents reported. Police officials claimed that they are controlling the street criminals and some arrests of such criminals were also made but no clue was traced. Nadir Khawjah told APP that his motorbike was stolen when he came with her mother to the emergency ward in LRH hospital. He registered a report of his stolen bike but no progress was made. He was told by the concerned Police Station official that we are in search of criminals from the last three months, which highlighted the volumes of Police interest in arresting the robbers and thief.

There are reports that hardly a few percent of the cases are being registered at the Police Stations while in a majority of the incidents, cops avoid lodging the cases by dodging the complainants in a bid to present a rosy picture to the seniors.

There are reports that a large number of incidents of snatching cell phones and cash, theft from homes, shops and other places are not even being reported to police since the victims think that they are not going to get any relief.

Apart from the weak performance by the respective station house officers and senior cops, the unprecedented inflation, as well as ice (methamphetamine) addiction, has resulted in an increase in street crimes and violence in society in recent years.

The increase in violent street crimes has already spread terror in Peshawar where theft, snatching, lifting and burglaries are happening frequently. In many areas, people now avoid coming out of their homes alone after sunset. Many shopkeepers also keep loaded guns with them as a deterrence and to respond in case of any robbery attempt.

A ban has been imposed on motorbikes without registration. However, no heat was paid and there are many unregistered motorbikes running on the roads with even 5 to 14 years of age children without proper documentation driving the bikes or also involved in one-wheeling.

The people demanded from the Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan to take action in the direction and should make the Police officials answerable to the public in such cases of snatching guns points and firing the innocent citizens during robberies. However, people are yet to heave a sigh of relief despite repeated requests even from the business circles who were looted on gun points.

Officials of the Peshawar Police in response to this claimed that over 50 gangs of street criminals including those involved in shooting people have been busted and many of their members were arrested by the Capital City Police in operations during the current year.

Police officials said troubled points had been identified and patrolling and checking has been increased there. They claimed to bust gangs and arrest criminals on a daily basis. But this is also a fact that street crimes are happening more frequently, spreading more terror among the locals.

APP/ijz/1620