KARACHI: Several shops were looted in three small markets situated in the Al-Falah area on early Mon­day morning, triggering a protest by the shopkeepers, officials and witnesses said.

They added that the thieves with the help of gas cutters broke open the locks of the shops in Kehkashan Society and took away some cash.

The incident triggered a protest by the shopkeepers in the locality, who told the media that around 12 shops had been looted. However, Al-Falah SHO Tahir Beg claimed that only ‘five to six shops’ were looted. He estimated that around Rs10,000 to Rs12,000 were taken away by the thieves.

He said the incident occur­red at around 5:30am. He claimed that the shopkeepers held a protest demonstration because their complaint was not entertained on time as he and other police officers were present in Shah Faisal Colony since early morning where the funeral prayers for Maulana Saleemullah Khan took place. Subsequently, the policemen were posted for the security of polio teams.

“For us, providing protection to polio teams was more important than pursuing the theft case of small shops,” said the officer. He added that at around 10:30am, he met the shopkeepers and assured them that their complaints would be addressed and the culprits would be taken to task.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2017