Karachi police said on Thursday they arrested the prime suspect allegedly involved in a robbery at the residence of a Chinese national in the city’s Clifton area.

Malir City Police said in a statement that they conducted an intelligence-based operation and arrested the suspect in the domestic robbery incident within the limits of the Clifton police station.

“The ringleader involved in the robbery at a foreign citizen’s house has been arrested, while his wife was also found to be an accomplice,” said Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada.

“The suspect has been involved in theft and robbery incidents in different areas of Karachi and was hiding in the Malir area, where he was arrested after a raid,” SSP Pirzada said in the statement.

He noted that during interrogation, the suspect revealed his wife was also involved in the robbery. “The suspect’s wife used to work as a maid in different houses, collect information, and carry out the robberies with him,” he added.

According to the police officer, the suspect stole cash, jewellery and other valuables worth Rs1 million from the house of a foreign national, Xu Baosheng, located in the Clifton area and fled.

SSP Pirzada further said the suspect revealed that he and his wife used to commit crimes under disguise and later escaped to other parts of the country.

“Police are conducting raids at various places to arrest other suspects, while further investigation is underway,” the statement added.

A case was registered at the Clifton police station on the complaint of the victim under Section 381 (theft) and Section 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the first information report (FIR), the Chinese national said he had hired a maid to look after his children at his house for the past six months.

“During this time, Rs1m went missing from my safe. I asked my employees, but the matter was brushed aside,” he said, adding that soon after, the woman sought medical leave for fifteen days.

The Chinese citizen said he discovered that cash worth Rs2m and jewellery worth Rs1m were also missing. He named the woman and her husband as suspects in the case.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a day earlier that the government was building a safe and business-friendly environment for the Chinese community in Pakistan by enhancing their security.

“The confidence of Chinese companies in the Pakistani economy is extremely important for our economic future,” the prime minister said while chairing a meeting regarding security arrangements for Chinese citizens in Pakistan.

He acknowledged that measures were being taken to enhance the security of Chinese nationals across the country, including in Islamabad.