RAWALPINDI: A gang of robbers robbed the prayer leader of a mosque in Rawat, police said on Thursday.

The armed men offered Maghrib prayers in the mosque and later held the prayer leader at gunpoint, robbing him of cash and a mobile phone.

This was one of the 87 incidents of street crime in which 11 robberies, 17 motorcycles, 34 mobile phones, two cars, a large amount of money and gold jewellery were taken away by culprits from different parts of the city.

Safdar Hussain, the prayer leader of Taqwa Mosque in Rawat, told Dawn that he was sitting outside the mosque when three people came there and asked him if they could go inside to offer prayers. He said after offering prayers, they asked him to show them the main hall of the mosque and switch on the lights.

The robbers questioned him about his income and how he was making ends meet on such a meagre salary. They asked him to join their gang as an informer to raise his income. He said they snatched Rs9,500 and his mobile phone but dropped the phone in the street before escaping.

Abid Mehmood was robbed of cash and a mobile phone by two robbers in Ratta Amral area while Tariq Mehmood, a pharmacist, was robbed of Rs17,000 by three robbers in Naseerabad.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2022