PESHAWAR, Nov 11: Crime rate in the provincial metropolis and its suburban areas has registered a considerable increase during the last couple of weeks, according to a survey.

A bank robbery, murders and carjacking have occurred in the city with the police making no progress towards netting in the culprits in any of the case.

One of the major reasons cited for the rise in crime is that the police and other law enforcement agencies have been engaged in dealing with protest rallies being staged by religious parties against the US action on Afghanistan, so they are unable to keep an eye on criminals.

The district administration has deployed additional police, paramilitary force as well as army to sensitive areas in the city, yet the crime graph continues to go up.

Information gathered by Dawn shows that over a dozen people, including an NGO worker, have been killed, but the accused are still at large.

Armed bandits looted an Allied Bank van, taking away Rs2.5 million. The police, later, recovered the car used by the bandits at an abandoned place.