RAWALPINDI: The police on Wednesday announced a reward of Rs100,000 for information that could lead to the arrest of a gang of robbers which is targeting grocery stores.

In a tweet, City Police Officer Abbas Ahsan said any information leading to the arrest of the gang which robbed a general store in Sadiqabad and injured the owner will be awarded Rs100,000 and that the identity of the informant will be kept secret.

According to the police and traders who were robbed, six armed robberies were committed by a gang in Sadiqabad, one in the limits of the Airport police and two in Saddar Bairooni.

The six robberies in Sadiqabad were conducted on Monday night in just two hours by a band of men on motorbikes.

Victims said they called the emergency police as soon as they could and that the police did not come in time to catch the culprits.

A large number of traders and residents had on Tuesday staged a sit-in and blocked traffic in protest against the police, who have been unable to prevent the robberies.

Traders pulled down the shutters of the shops and gathered on Nishtar Road in protest against the police as five traders in the same area had been robbed on one day and two the next.

They dispersed peacefully when they were assured by senior police officers that the culprits will be arrested soon.

The traders in Sadiqabad staged a protest again on Wednesday and are demanding the state minister for interior look into the affairs of the Rawalpindi police.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2018