KARACHI: Perturbed at an alarming rise in the incidents of street crime in Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday directed the police authorities to devise a strong strategy to curb the menace.

Mr Shah’s directives came against the backdrop of reports that said 34 citizens had been killed and 165 wounded by armed muggers over resistance in Karachi during the past five months.

The CM had asked the Sindh and Karachi police chiefs to ensure effective patrolling, to be led by SHOs, in their respective areas.

He also directed them to speed up the operation against street criminals across the city and sought a progress report in two days.

The CM said some recent measures were taken to control the situation, police had been given necessary instructions and there was hope that an improvement would be seen.

He also asked the law-enforcement agency to exploit all possible technological support in the fight against street crime.

Meanwhile, the city police in two separate ‘encounters’ shot at and wounded three suspected bandits.

In the Sachal area, suspect Danish Wali Khan was arrested in a wounded condition after an encounter. The area police said he was wanted in several cases of street crimes and drug peddling.

In Orangi Town, two suspected muggers met the same fate when they were running away after snatching cash and valuables from passers-by. A police patrol spotted them and in an ensuing encounter arrested them in an injured condition. They were identified as Anwar Ismail and Muhammad Ali.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2022