KARACHI: The Senate Committee on Human Rights told the police on Tuesday to exhaust all available resources to apprehend the ‘knifeman’, or a gang, behind a series of attacks on women in certain parts of the city before he inflicted more harm.

During a session of the Senate committee in the city, its members listened to police officers patiently, but they failed to suggest tangible measures that could help solve the mystery.

Sources said the police officials claimed they had dug up lead after lead, yet the drama persisted, and hence fear remained, particularly in women.

Behind stabbing incidents officials suspect a plot to barricade city streets

DIG East Sultan Khowaja in his briefing informed the committee members that police had investigated some 40 patients from three mental hospitals. He added that police had got details from those mental health institutions and further investigations were under way.

He said the man detained in Sahiwal, Waseem, suspected to be involved in the knife attacks in Karachi, had 16 SIMs and several mobile phones in his possession. He said, however, the suspect recently arrested in Punjab would be released if found innocent, adding that so far there was no evidence that could suggest that Waseem ever came to the city.

The committee was told none of Waseem’s SIMs was used to make or receive calls from Karachi. He said similarities were found in 13 of the attacks.

The meeting was informed that at least 15 incidents of knife attacks on women had been reported since Sept 25. All of those attacks were committed by a man riding a motorcycle. Those incidents were chiefly concentrated in Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The police, said Mr Khowaja, had detained and interrogated 38 suspects in connection with the attacks.

The data of some 200 mobile phones had been checked and around 15,000 calls traced in the police’s course of investigation.

The meeting was told that at least 1,500 motorcycles with red colour were registered in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Regarding the poor quality of CCTV footage, officials told the senators that the city badly needed a modern CCTV network.

The police officials claimed that such attacks could be used as a ploy by certain criminal gangs, who might have designs to get barriers installed in the city streets.

Karachi police chief Mushtaq Mahar said the media exaggerated the events, though the police were aware of their responsibility to act against such crimes.

He said the police had also arrested militants belonging to political parties’ erstwhile armed groups, adding that the law enforcers would not let barriers be installed in the city’s streets.

Senator Nasreen Jalil, who headed the committee, discussed at length the police claim vis-à-vis criminal gangs’ plot to fortify the streets.

Mr Mahar said at least 100 Rangers and 200 police personnel had been deputed in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. He said the ‘knifeman’ would soon be arrested.

He said two militants belonging to Ansarul Sharia, a militant group, were involved in the killing of 75 policemen and army soldiers last year. Besides, 25 persons were killed in targeted attacks, again, by two “terrorists” of the same group.

Senator Farhatullah Khan Babar told the police officers that instead of solely concentrating on similarities in various attacks they should employ modern forensic expertise to solve the puzzle.

He said similar attacks had been reported in Rawalpindi, Sahiwal and Chichawatni in Punjab, which showed there must be a gang involved in such attacks.

“A single man cannot travel so extensively for such attacks.”

Senator Babar also expressed concern over the issue of barriers in Karachi.

Members of the Senate committee advised the police to focus on thorough investigations and arrest “all those” involved in the attacks.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017