Karachi police chief admits street crime increased by 7pc in 2022

During a media briefing at his office on Saturday, Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho admitted that compared to the year 2021, street crime had increased by 7.37 per cent in 2022.

Addl IGP Odho said that an overall decrease of 15.74 per cent was witnessed in crimes in 2022, including 14.78 per cent in house robberies and 35.72 per cent in car snatching incidents.

He said that 38,286 suspects were arrested in 2022, including 8,866 for robberies, 387 for murders, 49 for ATM robberies, 38 for ransom kidnappings, 110 for extortion and 5,420 for vehicle snatching and thefts, while 294 proclaimed offenders and 2,937 absconders were also caught.

Odho said that 889 encounters occurred with suspects during the Karachi police’s anti-crime operation in 2022, resulting in the killing of 129 suspects and the arrest of 1,039 others.

He said that 8,866 suspects involved in street crime and robberies were arrested, and 279 gangs involved in car and motorbike lifting were busted, with the arrest of 5,420 suspects involved in vehicle snatching and thefts. He added that 3,709 motorbikes and 249 other vehicles were recovered from the arrested suspects.

He also said that the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) arrested 110 extortionists, adding that on November 10, the police gunned down four suspects in Gulberg over house robberies, and arrested 214 other suspects.

The police chief said that those involved in bank robberies on April 14 in the Shahrah-e-Noorjahan police jurisdiction and on September 13 in the Awami Colony police jurisdiction had been arrested, while the SIU arrested 49 suspects for snatching cash from ATM users.

He said that 6,946 different types of weapons, including pistols, revolvers, shotguns and Kalashnikovs, and 90 hand grenades as well as other bombs were recovered from the arrested suspects.

Odho said the police seized 105.563kg heroin, 78.627kg ice and crystal, 9.054874mt hashish and 1.282348mt opium, adding that 8,632 drug peddlers were arrested during their anti-drug drive, while 431 inter-provincial drug dealers were also arrested for supplying narcotics to local drug dealers.

He said that 24.16mt Gutka-Mawa, 72,439 Gutka-Mawa packets and 61.963mt betel nuts were seized during their drive against the sale and purchase of Gutka-Mawa, while 3,984 suppliers were also arrested.

The police chief said that 362 cases were registered against illegal immigrants, and 1,817 people were arrested, while 58 cases were registered against police officials and employees involved in illegal activities. He said that the police personnel, officers and employees involved were arrested.

He added that besides their various anti-crime operations, they also provided security during important events: the Pakistan Super League; Pakistan’s cricket tournaments against Australia, England and New Zealand; Pakistan women’s cricket tournament against Sri Lanka; by-elections; Muharram processions and congregations; 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal processions and gatherings; monthly polio campaigns; meetings of political parties; Christmas and the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar.

The Addl IGP said police were also deployed in interior Sindh to deal with the devastation caused by floods. He said that during their service, 10 officers and employees of the Sindh police were martyred and 70 were injured.

Regarding the solving of major cases, he said police succeeded in major ones: one of the suspects who killed NED University student Bilal Nasir on December 15 was arrested on December 16 and the other was killed during a police encounter on December 31.

He said the suspects who killed nine-month-old Anabia in Nazimabad on October 8, those who killed two brothers in Gulshan-e-Maymar the same day, and those who killed Zeeshan in front of his children in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on September 1 were also arrested.

He added that six people, including two women, who were involved in a short-term kidnapping and also used a government registration number plate on their vehicle were arrested on October 20.

The police chief said that on January 12, a man named Shahrukh was killed in front of his mother in the Ferozabad area, adding that the suspect was identified and killed in a police encounter.

He said the suspect who killed a Hindu businessman named Veer Bhain on January 12 was also arrested. He added that 233 suspects were also arrested in 225 cases of sexual abuse of children.