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KARACHI: Snatchers stole Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar’s official car on gunpoint in Karachi’s upscale neighbourhood. Amid rising street crimes and a significant spike in theft of governmental vehicles this happening is not a surprise.
“At about 3 pm unknown thieves snatched Toyota Corolla number plate GSD 999 from near Shahbaz Commercial area,” SSP South Omar Shahid Hamid said, adding that Mayor Karachi Akhtar’s family was using the car.
According to the police officer, three men in a white Suzuki Cultus snatched the car on gunpoint. “The case seems to relate to earlier snatching of governmental vehicles,” he said.
The police officer added that they are carrying further investigation.
Reports show at least 27 car theft incidents with green number plates during the last one year.
Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) SSP Asad Raza has recently drawn the attention of the authorities concerned towards the disturbing trend through a letter.
He pointed out that private car snatching decreased in the city because of strict law enforcement; actions against gangs involved in the practice; use of tracking devices in vehicles and sandblasting registration, engine and chassis numbers of vehicles on their windscreens.
“As a result of enhanced cooperation between tracker companies and ACLC staff, scores of vehicles have been recovered.
“The vehicles with the trackers installed can be recovered in minutes if the device is not removed or jammed while the vehicles which have their particulars sandblasted on their screens are less prone to theft or snatch and cannot be sold in the market easily.
Most of the criminal occurrences took place in South district, particularly in the Clifton and Defence areas.
According to a government report, after realising that vehicles with trackers and sandblasting of numbers recovers easily, the criminals started targeting government vehicles which do not have trackers and the numbers on their windscreens. The report read that favourite targets of the snatchers are new Toyota Corollas.
In the recent past, the then additional IG Mushtaq Mahar had announced a reward of Rs500,000 for anyone who provided information about the gang behind snatching of government vehicles in Clifton.
Out of the 26 snatched vehicles, Police recovered only two so far.
