The year’s first five months have seen a dramatic surge in citizens murdered by armed street criminals.
Sindh police data reveals that from January to May, robberies resulted in the death of 44 individuals in Karachi, a significant increase from 26 deaths recorded in the same period the previous year. The statistics highlight a troubling trend where the number of such fatalities has doubled.
Street crime, as categorized by the police, includes mobile phone snatching, robberies, and vehicle theft. The new year began tragically with the murder of Jahangir Sohail, a 25-year-old citizen killed outside his home, setting a chilling precedent for a crime every third day.
In multiple instances, armed criminals fatally shot individuals who offered no physical or verbal resistance. Regardless of the resistance level, all such cases were classified as ‘robbery resistance’ by the police.
Statistics from Sindh police paint a grim picture of law and order in the provincial capital, with 116 shop robberies and 1,713 other robberies documented in the first five months. Additionally, 518 cars were stolen or snatched at gunpoint, 4,441 motorcycles were stolen, 1,191 were snatched at gunpoint, and 11,936 cell phones were taken.
Between January and May, 38 suspected robbers were killed in supposed police encounters, with another 477 suspects arrested in an injured state.
A senior police officer cites several factors contributing to the rise in violent crime, including ineffective surveillance, inadequate field staff, systemic flaws in the criminal justice system, political interference, and the escalating use of synthetic drugs among young people.
He also highlighted the police’s use of force in staged encounters, which corresponded with increased violent crime.
To curb this escalating trend, SSP-South Asad Raza suggested enhanced police patrols, control over city entry and exit points, and intelligence-based operations.
