MIANWALI: Traders and well-to-do people of the city are regularly receiving threat calls from extortionists and the problem is on the rise.

Most of the people don’t report the matter to police while succumbing to the threats and paying heavy amounts to extortionists who mainly consist of absconders.

These outlaws are hiding in kacha area of the River Indus and surrounding mountains near the city on its western side where police have a limited access.

Until recently, the criminals used to hide in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but now they have got natural and the safest hideouts in the district. A police operation against them is in progress but with a limited success.

Some days back, Muhammad Iqbal Malik, owner of Hamza Traders, Kutchery Road, received threat calls reportedly from an absconder, Zubair, of Shahbazkhel, wanted in murder cases, to pay Rs1 million as extortion. Iqbal refused to accept the extortionist’s demand and reported the matter with the Mianwali City police station. An FIR was registered against Zubair.

It is interesting that soon after the absconder received information about the FIR, he made another threat call to Iqbal which shows the presence of black sheep in police force, having ties with the criminals.

Haji Falak Sher Awami, president of the Traders Association, Mianwali, claimed most of the extortion incidents were not reported with police and the traders were worried about their safety. He said traders would observe a shutdown soon to protest this deteriorating law and order situation.

Advocate Sardar Nasrullah Khan, former president of the Mianwali District Bar Association, said the presence of locals in police was the main cause of failure to arrest extortionists and local policemen must be transferred to other districts.

District Police Officer Mujahid Akbar Khan told Dawn that his force was hunting down outlaws, expressing hope that the department would be successful in getting rid of the menace.

Published in Dawn February 8th , 2015

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