KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced two men to a total of 14 years in prison for snatching a motorbike from a citizen and possessing unlicensed firearms.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (East), Shahid Ali Memon, found M Usman guilty in two separate cases and awarded him seven years of imprisonment for each. The second accused, M Ayaz, was convicted in one case but acquitted in another due to the prosecution’s failure to substantiate the charges.

Both convicts were also handed additional imprisonment for possessing unlicensed pistols recovered from them at the time of their arrest.

“I must express my thoughts that nowadays, the street crimes have promptly been increasing day by day and none from the society feel secure at the hands of merciless muggers, who almost not only looted the innocent but also caused their murder and injuries without their fault. Thus under such circumstances, the persons so involved in such like cases do not deserve any leniency and if any leniency is shown then it would amount to bring the lives, liberties, honors, valuable properties of the innocent at the mercy of unbridled looters,” the judge observed.

According to state prosecutor Syed Khursheed Abbas, two robbery cases under separate FIRs had been registered against the convicts.

He said the first incident took place on May 17, 2024. A 37-year-old driver was on his way home when four men riding motorcycles intercepted him, held him at gunpoint, looted his valuables and snatched his motorbike before fleeing. As the victim, who is the complainant in this case, resisted, one of the muggers opened fire and wounded him.

The prosecution added that a week later, on May 23, 2024, another complainant reported that as he was going to collect a delivery on his motorbike, three armed men intercepted him on foot, held him at gunpoint, snatched his bike and escaped.

Later, police arrested the two convicts at a bus stop in the Landhi area and recovered pistols from their possession.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2025