Thursday once again brought home the dangers that lurk on the streets of Karachi. Armed robbers continue to strike with impunity, killing people at the slightest of resistance, which gives an impression that the police have failed in crime prevention.
The robbers shot dead a youth in front of his mother and sister on the doorstep of their home near KMC Sports Complex at Karachi’s Kashmir Road. The deceased 28-year-old Shah Rukh had gotten married only three days ago. A home filled with laughter and songs was echoing with sobs and cries as the family mourned the death of the youngest son.
In another incident, 35-year old businessman was shot dead while resisting a robbery near Schon Circle, Clifton. The opposition in Sindh has laid into the PPP-led government for ‘letting criminals loose’ on unarmed civilians and demanded that the Rangers be directed to conduct a wide-ranging operation against the criminal elements in the city.
According to media reports, Karachi has witnessed a horrific increase in crime since the New Year. In the first 12 days of 2022 in Karachi, 5 citizens have lost their lives while resisting robberies. When the Rangers-led cleanup operation in Karachi commenced in 2013, the metropolis was a hotbed of ethnic, political and sectarian violence with rampant targeted killings, kidnapping for ransom and bank robberies.
The crackdown against these major crimes by the paramilitary also led to a simultaneous drop in street crimes. In the years since, however, even while major crimes have remained under control, the graph of street crime has started rising, with spikes occurring every now and then.
Meanwhile, Sindh Rangers, police and other law enforcement agencies have devised a joint strategy against street crimes, robbery and drug smuggling in the province including Karachi. The decision to this effect was taken in a high-level meeting chaired by the Director General Rangers Major General Iftikhar Hassan Chaudhry.
For one, more high-quality security cameras must be installed at crime hotspots and there should be increased police patrolling. There is a need to take measures to curb the rising crime in the city and to provide security to the citizens by removing the atmosphere of fear.
