SWAT: Unidentified thieves looted 17 shops in a single night in different areas across the district.

Locals said that thieves broke into five shops near a police post in Qalage area of Kabal tehsil by tampering with the locks. The residents of the area staged a protest outside the police post. They chanted slogans and demanded immediate action against the thieves and other people involved in criminal activities.

Social activist Advocate Neelam Chattan strongly condemned the incidents and attributed the increasing cases of theft in Swat to the ineffectiveness of police f and local administration.

“These incidents are clear indications of lawlessness and the failure of the district administration. It is alarming that thieves managed to break into 17 shops in a single night,” she said. She added that it was the responsibility of government and relevant depart.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2023