CRIME DIARY: Police powerlessness exposed as armed robber terrorises Islamabad

Islamabad : For the first time in its 44-year history of policing, the federal capital is witnessing an unprecedented and compromised surge in street crime. Law enforcement appears powerless against a lone man armed with a machine gun, a "one-man gang" who has gripped one of the world’s most sensitive cities in fear, dominating the minds of residents, the business community, financial institutions, banks, and armed security guards, effectively undermining their sense of security. The capital's over 13 thousand police force seems immobilized as this individual defiantly challenges their professionalism.

In Islamabad, a wave of armed robberies targeting private banks has sparked fear. The audacity of the armed robber is evident in an incident where he pursued a cash van on his motorcycle after failing to rob it, firing shots near Tarnol. When no law enforcement responded, he later, in broad daylight, brazenly opened fire in the main market of G-9, successfully robbing a state bank's cash van. Similarly, in the Sumbal Police Station area, G-14/4, a security guard at a private bank was shot and wounded.

Police sources on the investigation team revealed that the culprit appears to be a single man, aged 30-35, carrying a backpack and targeting cash vans and banks. Surveillance footage shows him fearlessly shooting a security guard and fleeing with a cash-filled bag. This attack left one person dead and six severely injured, including security guards.

For the past few days, the criminal from out of town have been targeting cash vans of various banks, notably in the Industrial Area, Karachi Company and Tarnol, injuring dozens of people in indiscriminate gunfire. However, the police and banks viewed these as routine street crimes and took no preventive measures, nor filed formal cases, leaving the criminals undeterred. Consequently, they again targeted cash vans, trailing one to a government bank where they ambushed the guard as he stepped out with a cash bag. Eyewitnesses report that, upon hearing the first shot, armed guards from the state bank fled inside, abandoning the public and bank employees to the robbers. The assailants then fired indiscriminately, injuring many people, including shopkeepers and security guards.

Police officials attributed the incidents to negligence by a government bank’s staff and security guards, claiming that only a month prior, the police issued warning letters urging banks to tighten their security measures. However, the banks, particularly the government bank, failed to heed these warnings, making themselves easy targets. A government bank security officer, when contacted, confirmed that they received the letter but passed the responsibility to the security agency, denying any further accountability.

On the other side, Investigations uncovered that the assailant used an official Small Machine Gun (SMG) allegedly acquired fraudulently from the police. Records indicate this SMG went missing on October 19, 2024, from the Security Division’s armory during deployment of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) for the England-Pakistan Cricket Test. Forensic analysis of shell casings confirmed that the bullet calibers matched those issued by the Security Division. Sources suspect the SMG was given to an individual impersonating SPU personnel, identified only as ‘Dilawar,’ without proper verification by ASI Ali Sher. Some sources contest this, claiming the SMG was issued to an SPU officer from Gujar Khan, now untraceable.

To deflect blame, ASI Ali Sher filed a case against the "unknown Dilawar," but the police authorities are now pursuing action against Ali Sher himself. Amidst this security crisis, the head of the Operations Division departed for a private visit to the United States, leaving the crime control responsibilities entirely to the SSP Operations. In response, authorities have chosen to increase public security checks, hoping to locate the missing SMG by searching passers-by’s clothing, thereby aiming to capture the "one-man gang." However, this strategy appears to intensify public fear and insecurity rather than effectively addressing the threat.