KARACHI: Over half a dozen robbers — allegedly a gang of Afghan criminals — looted 145 tolas of gold ornaments, a huge quantity of foreign currency and other valuables from two houses, including one belonging to a retired Pakistan Air Force official, in Javed Bahria Housing Society in the early hours of Sunday morning, police said.

Around eight armed robbers entered a house by climbing a wall of Javed Bahria Housing Society at around 3am, said Mauripur SHO Abdul Ghaffar Shah.

The robbers took the family members of Salman Khan, owner of a private workshop, hostage at gunpoint and locked them inside a room.

They searched the house and took away 45 tolas of gold ornaments, snatched mobile phones and other valuables.

Subsequently, they entered another adjacent house belonging to a retired PAF official.

The robbers also took the house occupants hostage at gunpoint and took away 100 tolas of gold ornaments from shelves, 81,000 riyals, 4,000 dollars, one pistol and one revolver and fled.

The SHO said that the retired PAF official was not present at the time of the robbery in the house. The robbers remained in both the houses till 4am and then went away.

Mr Shah said that there was security, including police, deployed at the main gate of the Javed Bahria-II, but the robbers entered the premises by scaling its low boundary wall.

He believed that the criminals belonged to an ‘Afghani gang’, which had been active in the area.

He claimed that the same group had committed house robbery on Sept 3 in Javed Bahria.

They were also involved in another house robbery within the remit of the Madina Colony police station on Sept 16 and looted 85 tolas gold from there.

They committed another house robbery in Saeedabad two days ago, the police added.

The Mauripur SHO said that investigation officers and SHOs concerned of the said police stations also arrived at the crime scene and they shared their views that this was the same gang of criminals that had committed these robberies.

The police have registered an FIR (293/2019) under Section 395 against eight suspects on a complaint of Salman Khan and launched an investigation into it.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, have intensified snap checking in view of a ‘sudden rise in street crimes’ while DG Rangers Maj Gen Omar Ahmed Bukhari visited different areas to assess the security measures taken to meet any eventuality.

“The Pakistan Rangers Sindh have intensified snap checking and tightened security in Karachi owing to a sudden rise in street crime in the metropolis,” according to a spokesperson.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2019