KARACHI, Oct 15: About 25 vehicles a day on an average were hijacked/stolen in the city in September this year showing a 22.34 per cent increase in the incidents of carjacking over the corresponding period last year.
According to statistics compiled by the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee, 743 vehicles - 310 cars and 433 motorcycles - were either hijacked/stolen in September this year as compared to 577 vehicles - 229 cars and 348 motorcycles - taken away in September last year.
From January to September this year, bandits took away 7,221 vehicles - 3,147 four-wheelers and 4,074 two-wheelers - in the city as compared to 5,643 vehicles - 2,290 four-wheelers and 3,353 two wheelers - taken away during the corresponding period last year.
The figures show an increase of 21.86pc in the incidents of carjacking and motorcycle-lifting this year as compared to last year.
Bandits took away 335 cars in January this year, 418 in February, 408 in March, 437 in April, 312 in May, 345 in June, 286 in July, 296 in August and 310 in September. 440 motorcycles were taken away in January, 450 in February, 392 in March, 446 in April, 476 in May, 492 in June, 454 in July, 491 in August and 433 in September.
In September this year the favourite areas for car hijackers were Gizri, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Ferozabad and Darakhshan police limits. The incidents of car theft remained high in Ferozabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Clifton areas.
Bandits hijacked most of the motorcycles in Korangi in September this year. Most of the motorcycles were stolen in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Artillery Maidan, Kharadar, Garden and Azizabad police limits.
The police figures, issued to the press on a daily basis, did not usually exceed from 10-12 vehicles a day on an average. The stereo-typed police figures, issued from the Central Police Office (CPO), always differ with the statistics compiled by the CPLC.
The Anti-car Lifting Cell (ACLC) is supposed to provide daily statistics on hijacked/stolen vehicles to the CPO for their onward release to the press. Sources close to ACLC officials told Dawn that they had been instructed to issue figures of only those vehicles whose FIRs were registered. The reported figures were not regularly issued although incidents did take place.
The sources said police usually did not issue figures to the press on Sundays as they tried to prevent crime figures from being published. If carjacking figures exceeded from 30 incidents a day, the ACLC had to issue figures ranging between 12-18 incidents of carjacking on a specific day. The ACLC generally issued figures late at night in order to suppress publication of incidents of carjacking, the sources said.