Police Fails to Restore Peace as Mobile Snatching Incidents Continue to Rise in Karachi

Carrying a mobile phone in the city of lights has become a nightmare for the citizens, as a media report states that over 60 people are subjected to mobile-snatching in Karachi daily. Till November 2020, more than 20,000 mobile phones were reportedly snatched from the users at gunpoint.

In September 2020, 2,510 mobile phone snatching cases were recorded, which is the highest number this year. Whereas in April, 846 mobile phone snatching cases were reported, which were the lowest. The authorities continue to fail in curbing street crime incidents in Karachi, and the armed criminals continue wreaking havoc in public unabated.

As per the data shared by the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) for 2020, the following are the numbers of month-wise snatchings that have been recorded throughout the year:

• 1939 in January
• 1846 in February
• 1381 in March
• 846 in April
• 1438 in May
• 1899 in June
• 2127 in July
• 2045 in August
• 2510 in September
• 2180 in October
• 1843 in November

The report further states that the recovery of mobile phones by the police has been “a tiny drop in the ocean,” which has raised the ire of the citizens who were looted in broad daylight.

Frustrations are on the rise against the performance of the police as the public demands concrete steps by the higher-ups to curb street crime. However, the debate has largely been one-sided, as there has been nothing but silence on the part of the authorities in this regard.