LAHORE, Oct 13: Crime against property is on the rise in the city as on average an increase of 59 incidents has been recorded every month this year.

The average has been taken from police record of first eight months of this year and that of first 11 months of the last year. Crime against vehicle is not included in it.

The record shows that 161 cases have been registered each month this year as compared to 102 cases lodged each month last year. It makes an increase of 59 incidents involving crime against property every month.

A total of 1,290 cases of crime against property have been registered in first eight months of this year. The number was 1,127 last year.

In two incidents, robbers opened fire on victims without meeting any resistance. The first incident took place in Millat Park on Sept 17 when gunmen shot dead schoolteacher Ferdus.

The dacoits also killed Ehsan Tahir, son of a retired major, and injured two family members in Jauhar Town on Sept 10.

Families and witnesses in both cases reported that the robbers opened fire on them without meeting any resistance. Ironically, says a police source, the killers in both the cases escaped without any hindrance.

The number of crime registered under sections 382, 392 and 394, commonly known as robberies in first eight months of this year, is 1,196 as compared to 1,005 in first 11 months of last year.

Sadar division police have topped in this year’s division-wise breakdown with 369 cases while Model Town division is second on the list. Cantonment and City divisions with 289 and 226 cases, respectively, are third and fourth on the list.

Cases registered under section 395, known as dacoities, are 53 from Jan 1 to Aug 31 this year as compared to 55 reported in the 11 months of the last year.

According to this year’s statistics, 24 incidents took place in Sadar division, 14 in Model Town, 10 in Cantonment and five in City divisions.

The police registered 21 cases under sections 458 and 459 of the PPC in eight months of this year against 35 of last year’s 11 months.

The sections are applied when an inmate wakes up during a theft and intruder(s) threatens him or her without showing a weapon. Of 21 incidents, seven took place in Model Town division, six in Sadar and four each in City and Cantonment divisions.

The miscreants, according to the police record, killed 20 people on resistance in eight months against 32 in 11 months of the last year.

Sources, however, say that the reported figures do not show the exact situation as the police always try to hide the robbery motive at the very beginning of the case. They believe the figures might be double.

The sources cite two examples to support their point of view, saying that the police at initial stage did not admit that Khwaja Rizwan, son of former PML-N leader, his friend and a guard were murdered in a robbery incident. Investigation, later, revealed robbery as the only motive.

Similarly, the slaying of a retired wing commander and his wife was not registered as robbery-cum-murder at initial stage but, later, the police had to change the sections in the FIR after the arrest of the killers.

Senior police hierarchy, whenever asked, gives only one reason for the increase in crime against property —- free registration of cases.

“Let me admit the increase in the crime,” said Punjab IGP Masud Shah while speaking at a press conference some weeks ago at the Police Club. However, he said free registration of cases was the only reason.