KARACHI, Dec 30: While their victims wail and cry over their losses, the increasingly emboldened robbers literally laugh and crack jokes. The police cash in on their misery and harass the sufferers into silence.

At about 10am on Friday, three outlaws cleaned out the house of a retired navy officer in Bhitai Colony’s Sector C. They took away, besides other things, jewellery belonging to four women.

When the gang entered the house, they threw a piece of cloth on Kashif, a teenaged boy, who fainted with fright. Holding revolvers, they asked Neelum, her mother Gulzar and the grandmother to sit down facing the wall and lower their gaze. They rummaged through each and every thing in the house and grabbed articles of their choice.

As they were leaving the house, Atif, a plump college student and son of the owner, was entering. Taking them as his relatives, he warmly greeted them and said: “Sorry, uncles, I haven’t recognized you. Its good for us, son. Go inside and you will learn who we are,” one of the gangsters said.

A few steps from this house, they came across Noor Afzal, a Pathan boy, who was holding a heifer meant for sacrifice. “How much did you pay for this?” they asked the boy, who told them the price.

“You are telling a lie. We can get you a better animal for half its price.” The hotheaded Pathan youth was incensed: “Before calling me a liar, go to the market and you will see how expensive sacrificial animals are this year.” “Come with us and we will get you a cow for free,” a gangster said and they walked away. — NA