RAWALPINDI, July 14: Taking cognisance of the increased number of robberies by the fake officials of police or customs, the police have launched a belated campaign to check the incidents as mostly the expatriates become the victims of the outlaws while going home after arriving at Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

The robber's gang usually led by a man in police uniform and sometimes in customs and excise and taxation uniforms holding a wireless set in his hand and accompanied by two or three other persons in plain clothes chase the taxis or private cars in which their targets leave the airport for home.

As the expatriates pass through isolated places on Tipu Road, Peshawar Road or Kural Chowk on Islamabad highway, they block the road and disembark the passengers from the car.

They identify themselves as police officials and sometimes customs or excise officials and first they threaten and then ask the expatriates for baggage search.

During search, they usually grab cash and gold ornaments and sometimes they even take away the entire luggage the expatriates are carrying with them.

Though quite delayed, City Police Officer Azhar Hameed Khokhar has taken notice of the increased number of robberies.

The CPO deployed Elite Force commandoes at the airport, police personnel in plain clothes at Rawat, Waris Khan, Westridge and Airport areas and ordered to hang banners inscribed with warning for the expatriates to be careful of the robbers in police or customs uniforms while going home.

In addition to it, the police have kicked-off patrolling on motorbikes around the airport areas and started distributing pamphlets inscribed with cautions to the passengers.

The pamphlets read: “You have already been checked at the airport and nobody else out of the airport either in any uniform is authorised to re-check you again. If anybody tires to stop you or ask for checking while going home, please, inform the police immediately on the following telephone numbers 051-9280333, 051-9270014.”

When the City Police Officer (CPO) Azhar Hameed was contacted, he said the gangs involved in the robberies had been identified with the help of the sketches and hoped that these gangs would be busted very soon.

He said the plain clothed policemen had been deployed at sensitive places and police patrolling had been increased besides taking some other measures to avert such incidents.

He hoped there would be good results after the implementation of fresh strategy.