Police and Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) Monday conducted a joint raid in the electronics market situated in Karachi's Saddar area and claimed to have arrested two "facilitators of street criminals," said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohammad Farooq Awan.

Awan, head of the Anti-Mobile Phone Snatching Cell, said in a press conference that the raiding team detained two shopkeepers and seized multiple devices from their custody.

The raid was conducted on a tip off, he said, adding that some shopkeepers of the market were unblocking and changing the IMEI numbers of snatched and blocked phones.

"Mohammad Waqas of Canan Communication in Al-Haroon Market and Danish of Qawaswa Communications in Coins Code Market were arrested in the presence of market association representatives and local police," said Awan.

Awan also alleged that the held shopkeepers were in contact with street criminals and used to sell snatched and stolen mobile phones in the market.

“They are facilitators of criminals and cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) will be registered against them,” said the police officer.

Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP), Karachi Dr. Sanaullah Abbasi termed it a "significant development" in controlling street crimes.

'Enough is enough'

The CPLC chief said this was the first step in controlling street crimes. He added that a "message has been conveyed to the shopkeepers involved in the illegal practice of selling snatched and stolen mobile phones that enough is enough”.

He further said the joint raid by was conducted after taking the market association into confidence.

The move comes after IGP Sindh A.D.Khowaja held a high level meeting which was attended by senior officials of the police department, CPLC, intelligence agencies and the Anti Narcotics Force. The focus of the meeting was to control street crimes in the metropolis.