KARACHI - Inspector General of Sindh Police AD Khowaja has directed the police officials to launch a crackdown on proclaimed offenders across the province.
Charing a meeting of his immediate subordinates at the Central Police Office on Thursday, IG Khowaja showed his displeasure with the performance of DIGs and directed the Larkana DIG to take strict measures to curb crime. He directed the DIGs to have the absconding criminals declared proclaimed offenders by courts. He told them to compile data of all proclaimed offenders and absconding criminals. He said that police would penetrate the criminals’ communication network through this data. The use of fingerprints will help trace the criminals, he said. It is also important to stop their financial transactions, he said.
All top officers of Sindh Police were present in the meeting, some of them through video-conferencing. The IG told the chiefs of the Counter-Terrorism Department and Crime Investigation Agency to assist the operations police in arrest of criminals.
He said that every police range in the province would be provided a locator after the department receives its budgetary allocation for the next financial year. The resource addition will make the police independent in its operations. For now, they have to seek help from federal law enforcement agencies and military agencies.
ACLC TEAM REWARDED
The IG announced a Rs0.35 million reward for a team of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell that nabbed a network of robbers allegedly involved in bank heists across the country.
According to the police, the network nabbed by the ACLC has committed at least nine bank robberies in Karachi alone.
According to a police report, there are 120,770 suspects absconding in criminal cases. Of these 53,210 have been declared proclaimed offenders by courts, while the rest are simply absconding.
A suspect charged in absentia by the police under section 512 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is an absconder. The suspect, however, becomes a proclaimed offender after court orders initiation of proclamation and property confiscation process under sections 87 and 88 of the CrPC.
ANOTHER ‘GANGSTER’
BITES THE DUST
Chakiwara police claimed on Thursday to have gunned down an alleged gangster in an encounter in the Rangiwara locality of Lyari.
Police raided a hideout on a tip off and the gangsters resorted to firing on the police team. Police retaliated and injured alleged gangster Bilal Katchi, who died on way to the hospital. Police said the accused was associated with the Ghaffar Zikri group and he had been arrested in the past.
Family of the alleged gangster said that police killed him in a fake encounter.
MAN SHOT DEAD
Unknown gunmen shot dead a man near Jamali Pull in the limits of SITE Superhighway Police Station. Police said that Akhtar Hussain (34) was on way to home when gunmen riding a motorbike shot him multiple times and fled. Police shifted the victim to hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. Police said that personal enmity could be the motive for the murder. Police handed over the body to the family after an autopsy. Police had not registered a case until Thursday evening when this report was filed.
22 SUSPECTS ARRESTED
Law enforcement agencies claimed to have arrested at least 22 suspects, including target killers and extortionists, in ongoing operations.
The Rangers carried out raids in Preedy and Taymoria localities and arrested at least six suspects, including Nadeem, Rizwan Ali, Mushtaq, Rajab and Raza. The accused were affiliated with the MQM-London. One of the suspects, Ibrahim, was associated with the Sunni Tehreek. The Rangers spokesperson said the accused were involved in a number of criminal activities, including target killings, extortion and other criminal activities.
The Rangers also carried out raids in Quaidabad and Khokhrapar localities and arrested alleged robbers Jabbar, Waseem Tariq and Azeem. The Rangers claimed that the accused were involved in a number of robberies. The Rangers said they also recovered weapons and looted valuables from the accused.
The Rangers also claimed to have recovered a G3 rifle and a pistol from a man identified as Yousaf during snap checking at Wita Chowrangi.
The West Zone police claimed to have arrested a criminal associated with an outlawed militant organisation. Police said the suspect was involved in the murder of qawwal Amjad Sabri. Police recovered weapons from his possession and said further investigation was under way.
Police also arrested over a dozen suspects and recovered weapons from them in raids and operations in parts of the city.
MAN BURNT ALIVE IN FACTORY FIRE
A man was burnt alive in a fire, which erupted at a cardboard factory in the Shairshah area.
Police said the fire erupted due to a cylinder blast. As a result, an employee of the factory identified as Abrar was burnt alive. Fire tenders rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire.