KARACHI: 5,223 vehicles taken away in last six months
By Arman Sabir
KARACHI, July 25: Police have failed to reduce the number of carjacking incidents as 17 per cent more vehicles were taken away during the past six months as compared with the corresponding span of the previous year.
According to the statistics prepared by the police department, around 29 vehicles were taken away daily in the city on an average during the last six months as compared with an average of 24 vehicles a day during the similar period in the last year.
In the last month alone, carjackers took away 939 vehicles, including 361 cars and 578 motorcycles, in the city which shows an average of 31 carjacking incidents a day. Similarly in March this year, as many as 932 vehicles were taken away.
The statistics show that the robbers took away 5,223 vehicles, including 1,849 four-wheelers and 3,374 two-wheelers, during the first half of this year as compared with 4299 vehicles, including 1,586 four-wheelers and 2,713 two-wheelers, in the corresponding period in 2003.
Carjackers took away 316 four-wheelers in January, 290 in February, 308 in March, 297 in April, 277 in May and 361 four- wheelers in June. A similar trend was observed in the incidents of motorcycle lifting and snatching, as the robbers took away 542 motorbikes in January, 475 in February, 624 in March, 591 in April, 564 in May and 578 motorcycles in June.
As the exit and entry points were left virtually unchecked, the rise in the incidents was witnessed, the sources said. The figures show an unsatisfactory performance of the Anti- Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) in March and June, as the ACLC officials did a little to curb the menace of car jacking.
Besides, a number of public complaints were poured in against the behaviour of the ACLC officials and their uncalled for action which disturbed innocent citizens instead of putting a check on car jackings.
Besides the ACLC, officials of district police and Rangers appeared helpless in checking car jacking incidents. A loose check on car jacking incidents led to major terrorist incidents.
For instance, a 16-seater van Toyota Hi-ace was snatched from Gulistan-i-Jauhar at around 7:30am and it was parked near the Clifton bridge with a light machine gun fixed in it at 8:30am, the police sources said.
The car, used in the explosion in front of the PACC on the heavily guarded Fatima Jinnah Road, was snatched at gunpoint from Bahadurabad around 3pm. The terrorists fixed bomb in it and took the vehicle to the spot in less than two hours during rush hours. The bomb exploded at 5:35pm.
Similarly, the van used in Bible Society explosion was also snatched at gunpoint from Gulistan-i-Jauhar in the morning on Jan 15. It exploded near the Bible Society opposite Hotel Awari Towers at afternoon on the same day.
Sources said that criminals found least resistance in transporting the hijacked vehicles to other provinces due to non- existence of any strict check on exit and entry points of the city.
Besides, the sources said, many vehicles were dismantled within the city and their fragmented parts were sold in markets. No effort was made in the past to identify markets and areas within the city where spare parts of old vehicles were sold, they added.
The recovery ratio of cars during the first half of this year stood at 58 per cent and that of motorcycles at 36 per cent as compared with 67 per cent of cars and 33 per cent of motorbikes during the corresponding period of last year.
The most insecure areas where the cases of carjacking are at their peak included Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Jamshed Quarters, Clifton, North Nazimabad and Saddar. The areas where the motorcycle-lifters faced least resistance on the part of police while committing the offence were Saddar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Jamshed Quarters, and Gulberg.
The most favourite make for the car lifters remained Suzuki followed by Toyota and Honda, and colour remained white followed by grey and blue. The most preferred day remained Saturdays followed by Wednesdays and Mondays.
