Rawalpindi-A gang of armed robbers have launched a looting spree in various areas of the city by depriving the residents including ladies of gold, cash, mobile phones and other valuables on gunpoint, said sources on Tuesday.
Police are reluctant to even register cases against the criminals despite complaints by the victims on Rescue 15, they said. The residents of the most-affected Munawwar Colony are set to stage a rally outside Police Line Number 1 to register their protest against continuous house robberies, they said.
According to sources, a woman was travelling in a car at Munawwar Colony on Sunday night when two armed robbers riding on a bike intercepted her. One of the robbers pointed gun over her forehead while the other cut her gold bangles with a cutter, they said. They said that the robbers managed to escape from the scene.
In yet another incident, unknown robbers stormed into a house owned by Ameen and Kamran at Fajr time in Munawwar Colony and made the family members hostage on gunpoint. Later, the robbers snatched cash from the family members and fled, they said.
Some weeks ago, robbers walked in Saad Grocery Store at Munawwar Colony and snatched Rs80,000 from a supplier of a company and started fleeing on a motorcycle. In the meanwhile, the shopkeeper pulled out his pistol and fired at the fleeing robbers, injuring one of them critically. The robbers slowed down the motorcycle and one of them opened indiscriminate firing on the shopkeeper and the victim. The shopkeeper once again fired another bullet towards the robbers which hit a robber who was already injured but even though they managed to escape from the scene, sources said.
The shopkeeper called on Rescue 15 but no police party responded to the call or visited the crime scene. Later, a written application as also filed with Police Station Saddar Bairooni but case was not registered against the accused, they said. In the same area, the robbers had also looted another grocery store but police were unable to trace out the dacoits, sources said.
In Gulshanabad, unknown armed robbers intercepted a man namely Sharif and snatched cash from him on gunpoint, sources said. Police were reported by the victim man but no action was taken so far.
Meanwhile, armed robbers stormed into a house within limits of PS Airport and made off with gold, cash, mobile phones and other valuables, they said. An angry mob also staged a massive protest demonstration against the increasing incidents of robberies in Sector 8 of a private housing society along with GT Road, within limits of PS Rawat. The protestors chanted slogans against police and the CPO and demanded IG Punjab to take action against them for not controlling surge in house robberies. The spokesman of Rawalpindi police was not available for his comments.