August 06, 2007	Monday	Rajab 21, 1428

MULTAN, Aug 5: Citizens from all walks of life are facing a heightened sense of insecurity as the Multan police have failed to arrest the crime rate. The killing of two brothers by robbers in the Mumtazabad police station precinct during the past week added to the public unrest. Seven gangsters shot dead Gulzar Husain and Javed Husain and injured three other members of their family on resistance at Amjad Town, creating panic among the neighbours.

Organised gangs are operating not only in the remote areas where the police don’t have an easy access, but also in the heart of the city. No market or residential area is safe and the people leave their houses amid fear. Street crime, too, has assumed alarming proportions.

Among many incidents in the recent past were plunder of cash and valuables from Abdul Aleem’s house at Multan Cantonment, Gulshan Market president Chaudhry Muhammad Illyas’ shop and strikes at jewellery shops, which have scared the hell out of the people. They allege that the law enforcers are providing shelter to the culprits.

Of late, local traders accused the Multan police of releasing the dacoits who were handed over to them by the Lahore police.

Nafees Ahmad Ansari, a PML-N legislator, said robbers’ strikes at markets and shops exposed the shortcomings of the police as many incidents took place daily and the police hardly ever traced the robbers and properly investigated the cases.

The provincial police chief, he said, should appoint a capable officer as the investigation cell head.

“The only thing the police are doing is creating problems for the citizens in the name of security,” alleged Tariq Naeemullah, a former PML secretary-general.

Gardezi Market president Arif Fasihullah said the Gulgasht police had lodged an FIR of dacoity incident at a bookshop and noted down the robbed amount as Rs45,000 instead of Rs150,000. In his view no such incident took place without the collusion of the police.

SP Investigation Shaukat Abbas denied releasing any dacoit, calling the allegations levelled by the traders baseless.

Muhammad Nawaz Warraich, the district police chief, told Dawn that he had no information about the handing over of dacoits by the Lahore police and their release by a local police team. He said he would bring the culprits to book only after receiving solid information in this regard.

As for the street crime, he said the city police would control the situation by evolving effective strategy. He said the police had arrested 576 proclaimed offenders and 66 members of 21 gangs, including Intizar Gang and Asif Gang.