The Karachi Traffic Police (KTP) on Sunday said that a crackdown was launched against dumpers (loaded trucks) as video of one of their drivers, who violated traffic rules on Sharea Faisal, went viral on social media, prompting higher authorities to take notice.

The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents — especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers — which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 were in 2024, according to hospital data.

A total of nine dumpers and water tankers were set on fire by angry mobs in Karachi on Wednesday night near the main road leading to 4-K Chowrangi after a heavy vehicle hit a bike rider, injuring him in the North Karachi area.

In February, the Sindh government replaced the KTP chief. Meanwhile, Karachi Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Javed Alam Odho formed the Karachi Road Accident Analysis Team (Kraat) last month to analyse the causality of the rise in accidents in the city and submit a detailed report to the authorities.

According to a statement issued by the KTP today, the traffic police have launched a crackdown against dumpers.

The traffic police took this action against an association of dumpers that did not hand over the driver despite having promised earlier, the statement said.

The video shared by the authorities showed that the dumper was carrying gravel and allegedly violated traffic laws on Sharea Faisal.

When the traffic police patrolling in the area indicated to him to stop, the driver did not stop and fled.

The driver was purportedly involved in over-speeding.

The traffic police took notice, directing all dumpers associations to hand over the dumper and driver to them to face legal action.

As per the statement, the dumpers association president, Liaquat Mehsud and others have sought some time to this effect, but later on, they reneged from their promise and did not hand over the driver and dumper to the police.

As a result, on Saturday night, the police launched a “massive crackdown”, imposed fines (chalan) against 142 dumpers and seized 27 other dumpers while one driver was also arrested, against whom a first investigation report was registered under sections 99 and 113 of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance of 1965.