KARACHI, Oct 4: For quite some time, Lyari, which has remained a peaceful area, is in the grip of terror due to lawlessness, and there is a marked increase in robberies, snatching of cellular phones and shootings.
Exchange of fires have become a common occurrence in Kalakot, Chawkiwara and Baghdadi areas where law enforcement agencies have been currently engaged in operations to curb crimes.So far several people have lost their lives and many have been wounded in various shootouts. Four people have been killed in a shootout in Chakiwara.
Police attributed these incident to crime mafia’s activities. More than 200 people, mostly youth, have been killed in the so-called gang-war, although the death toll does not include unreported cases.
Complaints of extortion have also been received from traders, shopkeepers and transporters in parts of Chakiwara area.
A number of protest campaigns have already been launched by social organizations against gangsterism, but their efforts could not produce any positive results as the situation remained unchanged.
Residents of the area have criticized the performance of their elected representatives, saying they are playing no role in mitigating their sufferings.
It is pertaining to note that mostly criminals are active in congested area of Kalakot, Chawkiwara police station areas and some other parts of Lyari Town where youngsters are operating for crime mafia in congested and narrow lanes where police have to face a tough job.
Whenever a raid is conducted by the police for the arrest of wanted criminals, their couriers immediately inform them and they escape. In the follow-up, the police surround the targeted area and in search of wanted criminals, they pick up innocent people who are disgraced and humiliated.
A relative calm returned to Ali Mohammad Mohallah recently with the timely intervention of TPO when he directed the SHO to release all the so-called suspects arrested from their houses during a search operation against the criminals.
Previously, the crime mafia had their dens in Kalakot and Chawkiwara areas but they have now extended their area of operation to other areas.
A community leader said Lyari is turning into a violent area because of inefficiency of police and public leaders.
He attributed it to poverty, illiteracy, lack of civic amenities and years of neglect by the authorities have turned Lyari into a fertile breeding ground for a variety of social evils, including drug addiction. The drug pushers pose a dire threat to people and families living in their target area.
He said efforts to cleanse it of numerous crimes have not been very successful and people had been eagerly watching towards the police.
