KARACHI, July 21: Police on Thursday picked up some shopkeepers from the cellphone market near Sakhi Hasan for their alleged involvement in trading of stolen mobile phones, which sparked off violence. Shopkeepers and employees of Sarena Towers, an emerging market for new and used cellphones, took to the streets against the arrests and police behaviour.

They pelted vehicles with stones, lit bonfires and suspended the traffic flow. They raised slogans against police harassment and unjust behaviour.

The North Nazimabad Town Police Officer, Athar Rasheed Butt, told Dawn that the police had asked shopkeepers on many occasions to collect a copy of the customer’s identity card selling cellphones, but the shopkeepers did not follow the instructions.

He said the police had inspected some shops and picked up at least five shopkeepers after the recovery of suspected stolen cellphones.

He said that in reaction to the arrests, some people took the law into their hands, lit bonfires and blocked the road.

A heavy contingent of police reached the spot and picked up six miscreants for creating a law and order situation.

The police dispersed the protesters, removed the remains of the bonfires, and opened the road for traffic.

However, the shopkeepers disputed the claim of the police and alleged that the police had been picking up shopkeepers almost everyday on the pretext of trading in stolen cellphones.

They alleged that the police had let them off after taking illegal gratification.

The shopkeepers had been fed up with the daily arrests without any justification. It was nothing but harassment, they said.

Sources in the Electronics Market, Saddar claimed that most of the trading of stolen cellphones took place in Sarena Towers.

The police also believed that shopkeepers at the Sarena Towers, Landhi, Korangi, and New Karachi had been involved in trading of stolen cellphones.