Karachi police, on Monday, took six suspects into custody as part of the ongoing investigation of knife attacks on six different women in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi.

Karachi East-Zone Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sultan Ali Khowaja told Dawn that the suspects have been detained for interrogation to find any clue about the identity and motive of the attacker.

He ruled out the possibility of any group or gang behind the attacks, saying that the investigation so far points towards a lone assailant.

“The attacker appears to be unstable,” the DIG said, adding that nothing can be said about the attacker's belief system. The police have not invoked any terror charges as no evidence pointing towards religious or political motives could be found.

The DIG said that the "sharp object" that was used to attack the women was a scalpel which is used in surgical procedures. The police are also collecting records of paramedics from hospitals in the locality while interrogating residents of the area.

He also said that though some television channels were reporting at least nine attacks in the locality, however, cases of only six attacks have been reported to the police.

Last week, fear gripped residents of Gulistan-i-Jauhar area after reports surfaced of a ‘knife attacker’ targeting women in the area. Subsequently, the police had launched a manhunt and an investigation into the motivation and identity of the attacker.

Three First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered ─ two at the Shahrah-i-Faisal police station and one at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station ─ on the complaint of three women who said that they had been attacked by a lone "knife-wielding" motorcyclist.

Police officials have been deployed at least 30 points in Gulistan-e-Jauhar along with decoy teams, the DIG said in a statement issued on Monday.

“Unions of all plaza owners in the area have been briefed [about the news security arrangements]. The residents of the area have appreciated police efforts and normal routine has re-emerged,” the statement said.

“No incident has [occurred] since the evening of Sept 28 due to... effective deployment, suspect profiling and interviews, and cooperation of residential unions.”

What we know so far

• Six attacks have been reported
• The victims of the stabbings are all women of different ages and different academic and family backgrounds
• The attacker uses a "sharp instrument" to stab the victims, which the police believes is a scalpel
• The attacker rides a motorbike
• Five women were discharged from a local hospital after receiving first aid and only one had to get stitches
• One of the victims told the police that before she was stabbed, the attacker told her, "something is going to happen to you".
• Other victims have said that the attacker fled right after stabbing them without saying anything
• The police has announced a Rs0.5 million reward for any information that might lead to the attacker