July 31, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 27, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 30: Robbers struck the capital city again in broad daylight on Wednesday while police were still collecting evidence about Tuesday's huge heist of over Rs25 million.

Despite a few similarities between the two robberies, police thought it was a different gang which broke into the house of Mr Imran Ali in Street 47, F-11/3, at 1:30pm on Wednesday and robbed the family at gunpoint of much jewellery and a little cash.

Shalimar police said four armed criminals forced themselves into the house of Mr Imran Ali and held his old parents and the domestic servant hostage. They rifled the house for more than an hour and left coolly after collecting jewellery of undetermined value, Rs15,000 in cash and two mobiles.

Apart from the losses, what worries the ordinary citizens is the frequency with which daredevil criminals can strike and the psychological scars they leave behind.

The menace haunts not just the citizens of Islamabad. While they were smarting under the big robbery on Tuesday, the sister city of Rawalpindi was hit by robbers, burglars and car thieves at 11 different places.

Local police said the criminals made off with cash, foreign currency, gold ornaments and five vehicles.

All three robberies on the day took place in the jurisdiction of Saddar Barooni area.

Victim Ijaz Ahmed reported that four robbers entered his house and snatched Rs38,000 and Saudi riyals 7,000, five wrist watches and a mobile phone from the inmates. The same gang then targeted the family of Ahmed Bashir living upstairs and escaped.

Ishtiaq Arslan complained to police that he was driving to office after collating some cash when gunmen waylaid his van and robbed him of Rs37,000, his mobile phone and sped away.

Three burglaries were reported to the airport police station.

Citizens Anwar Sajjad, Faheemul Hassan and Imran Ali reported to airport police that burglars broke into their houses and altogether took away Rs55,000, gold ornaments and other valuables.

Car thieves stole the vehicles of Adil Masood, Mohammad Taj, Khalil Khan and Rashid Ghani from the Civil Lines, Sadiqabad and Cantonment areas and Mandra. Abdul Waheed lost his motorcycle to the thieves.