18 July 2004	Sunday	29 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

RAWALPINDI, July 17: The overall crime rate rose alarmingly in the country in the month of May with Punjab on the top of the crime list, statistics showed.

Sectarian killings were high in Sindh. There was a sharp rise in cases of murder, kidnapping and rape in NWFP, while three persons were killed and nine injured in a bomb blast in Balochistan.

The recorded crime figures showed 882 people were murdered and 39 people died in sectarian violence in May 2004, while 835 people had been murdered and no sectarian killing took place in the same period in 2003.

Twenty-three incidents of kidnapping for ransom and 925 cases of kidnapping/abduction took place in the country in May 2004, while 11 incidents of kidnapping for ransom and 660 incidents of kidnapping/abduction took place in the same period in 2003.

As many as 24 cases of gang rape, 212 of rape and 277 of rioting took place in the country in the month of May 2004 compared with the same number of cases of gang rape, 188 of rape and 208 of rioting in the same month in 2003.

There was a sharp rise in the incidents of armed robberies and car-snatching in May 2004, as 1,127 cases of robbery, 22 of highway robbery, one of bank robbery, 4 of petrol pump looting and 143 of car-snatching were registered by the police, while there had been 924 cases of robbery, 12 of highway robbery, one of petrol pump robbery and 120 of car-snatching in May 2003.

There had been 8 explosions in May 2004 in which 5 people were killed and 64 injured compared with 5 explosions in the same period in 2003 in which 2 persons were killed and 22 injured.

According to the figures, 915 road accidents (fatal and non- fatal) took place in May 2004 in which 70 people lost their life, while 190 received injuries. On the contrary, in May 2003, 846 road accidents were reported to the police in which 81 people were killed, while 126 received injuries.

In Punjab, 466 people were murdered and 6 people died in sectarian violence in May 2004, while 465 people were murdered and no person was killed in sectarian violence in the same period in 2003.

There were 12 cases of kidnapping for ransom, 748 of kidnapping/abduction and 172 of rape recorded with the police in May 2004, while 4 cases of kidnapping for ransom, 504 of kidnapping/abduction and 145 of rape were recorded with the police in the same period in 2003.

According to the figures, 812 incidents of robbery, 19 of highway robbery, 65 of car-snatching and 16 of police encounters took place in Punjab alone in May 2004 compared with 596 incidents of robbery, 9 of highway robbery, 36 of car-snatching and 15 of police encounter in the same period in 2003.

As many as 495 road accidents and 15 incidents of honour killing took place in Punjab in May 2004 compared with 414 road accidents and 40 cases of honour killing in the same period in 2003.

In NWFP, 191 cases of murder, 55 of kidnapping, 17 of rape, 8 of police encounter and 2 of rioting took place in May 2004 compared with 185 cases of murder, 51 of kidnapping, 13 of rape, 12 of police encounter and 2 of rioting during the same period in 2003.

According to the statistics, 223 road accidents and 3 explosions took place in May 2004 compared with 201 road accidents in the same period in 2003.

In Sindh, 202 people were murdered and 33 died in sectarian violence, while there were 10 cases of kidnapping for ransom and 117 of kidnapping in May 2004 compared with 169 cases of murder, 5 of kidnapping for ransom and 103 of kidnapping in the same period in 2003. However, there was no sectarian killing during May 2003.

There had been 242 cases of rioting, 4 of gang rape, 18 of rape, 75 of police encounters, one of bank robbery and 4 of petrol pump looting in May 2004 compared with 170 cases of rioting, 2 of gang rape, 24 of rape and 75 of police encounters, while no bank or petrol pump robbery took place in May 2003.

However, there had been a fall in cases of robbery, highway robbery and car-snatching, as 291 incidents of robbery, 2 of highway robbery and 65 of car-snatching took place in May 2004 compared with 297 incidents of robbery, 3 of highway robbery and 75 of car snatching reported in the same period in 2003.

In Balochistan, there were 23 cases of murder, one of kidnapping for ransom, 5 of kidnapping, 16 of rioting, 5 of rape and one of highway robbery in May 2004 compared with 16 cases of murder, 2 of kidnapping, 21 of rioting and 6 of rape in the same period in May 2003. However, there was no incident of highway robbery and kidnapping for ransom in 2003.

There had been a fall in cases of robbery as 10 cases were reported to the police in May 2004 compared with 22 cases of robbery in the same period in 2003.