KARACHI, Nov 7: Residents of Shah Beg Lane Union Council area in Lyari Town have expressed concern over “deteriorating crime situation” in their locality, saying that “armed gangs roam in the congested streets and snatch wallets, purses and mobiles from people, particularly women.”

On the second day of Eid, they said, a young man was killed by these urchins in Shah Beg Lane areas. There had been rise in the incidents of held-ups after local body elections and police had failed to control the situation, they said.

They called for deployment of Rangers at the vital points of Shah Beg Lane and Baghdadi union council areas.

They argued that a relative calm prevailed in Lyari during the past few months after the police action against criminal elements, but this situation could not long last and the miscreants were now active again.

More than 200 innocent people, mostly youths, have been killed in the gang war between two criminal groups in Lyari. Among those who were killed included personnel of law enforcement agencies.

The fear among people of meeting death with violence is forcing many families to shift to safer areas or stay inside their houses.

People said that the deployment of Rangers in their areas might help control the situation.