KARACHI: City tops in kidnappings, suicides and carjackings: Sindh PA told...
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 11: During the year 2004, a total of 10,477 vehicles were stolen or snatched, 35 people were kidnapped and 76 committed suicide in Karachi alone which is a record in the province. This information was provided to the Sindh Assembly by Home Minister Abdur Rauf Siddiqui during the question hour on Wednesday in response to queries from Ms Humera Alwani and Sassui Palejo.
The minister told the house that a total of 11,183 vehicles had been stolen or snatched last year in Sindh. Out of 4,585 vehicles recovered during the period, 4,354 were recovered in Karachi.
A total of 1,460 suspects had been apprehended in connection with the vehicle theft/snatching but only 15 convicted, he said.
The session began at 11.15 with Mohammad Hussain, a member of the panel of chairmen, in the chair.
The house was also informed that no police personnel, except the one from whom a motorcycle had been recovered in Dadu, was found involved in these cases.
Giving details, the minister said that the vehicles snatched or stolen in Karachi were 3,005 cars, 6,653 motorcycles and 819 other vehicles. Out of them, he added, 1,770 cars, 2,228 motorcycles and 356 other vehicles had already been recovered.
In Hyderabad region, 42 cars, 199 motorcycles and 35 other vehicles were taken away and only 13 cars, 99 motorcycles and 22 other vehicles were recovered. In Sukkur region, of the 32 stolen or snatched cars, 310 motorcycles and 88 other vehicles, 17 cars, 128 motorcycles and 42 other vehicles were recovered.
In reply to another question, the house was informed that in Karachi, two vehicles were reserved to transport women prisoners from jail to various courts whereas in other regions, no vehicle was reserved for such prisoners.
An amount of Rs172,800 has been allocated in the budget 2004-05 for the repair of vehicles.
Responding to supplementary questions and proposals from members, the minister ordered the department concerned to improve the condition of vans for women prisoners and ensure ventilation and other essential requirements.
He also informed the house that for women prisoners, a lady doctor was available at the prison and necessary arrangements were made for their education and training. Besides, they are allowed to take their children for outing in parks once in a week.
At Karachi Central Prison, four rooms are being constructed to facilitate one-night stay of prisoners (who are in the jail for a long period) with their family members.
In reply to a question by Asardas Hemnani, the minister said that two prisons in Sukkur had a total capacity of 2,050 prisoners while the strength of interned people was 2,873, including 15 women.
The house was also informed that during the past year, 275 people committed suicide in Sindh. According to the break-up, 76 killed themselves in Karachi, 44 each in Badin and Mirpurkhas, 18 in Larkana and 16 in Hyderabad.
Responding to Ms Nasreen Chandio’s question, the minister said that the traffic police imposed fines of Rs2.28865 million last year for violation of certain traffic rules. The house was informed that during the year, 107 cases of karo-kari had been reported and the highest number was 29 reported in Jacobabad. Sikharpur was the next Shikarpur with 15 cases. Thirteen such cases were reported in Sukkur and 12 each in Khairpur and Larkana.
In reply to the question asked by Abdul Rehman Rajput, the minister said that in Sindh prisons, there were a total of 2,383 convicts and 15,512 under-trail prisoners as per the data collected in August 2004.
In response to a question by Ms Sharfun Nisa Leghari, the home minister said that out of total of 625 prisoners below the age of 18 years, 485 were in Karachi.
Responding to Ms Sassui Palejo’s question, the minister said that there were 370 women prisoners in Sindh — 242 in Karachi, 87 in Hyderabad, 25 in Larkana and 16 in Sukkur.
The house was told that during the last year, 118 people had been kidnapped and 23 of them got themselves freed after payment of ransom whereas the rest got freed by police. In Karachi, out of 35 kidnap victims, 22 were freed after payment of ransom and the rest through the efforts of police.
In response to a question by Ms Rahila Tiwana, the house was informed that in the prison, Rs14 expenditure incurred on food for each prisoner.
In reply to the question of Nasrullah Shaji, the minister said that the government had fixed Rs1 million reward for anyone providing a clue to the killers of MPA Abdullah Murad, who had been assassinated on March 6 last year.
