Over 1,000 murders reported in Sindh from January-August this year

• 1,035 cases of murder, 103 of extortion and 118 of kidnapping for ransom reported between January 1 and August 5.
  
• Murad Ali Shah says crimes against women, children, minorities, kidnapping, drug trafficking "intolerable".
• CM sets up crime data base to make police accountable.

KARACHI: More than 1,000 murders have been reported in Sindh so far this year, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Maher revealed on Friday during a meeting at the Chief Minister’s House on law and order in the province.

The Sindh IGP shared a number of statistics, of crimes which took place in the province from January 1 to August 5, this year, a press release issued by the Sindh Chief Minister’s Office said.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, IGP Mushtaq Maher, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sajid Abro, Additional IG Special Branch Ghulam Nabi Memon, Additional IG Karachi Yakoob Minhas, DIGs of all the police zones of the city, and additional IGs of Hyderabad and Sukkur as well as their DIGs attended the meeting through video link.

According to the statement, no incident of terrorism or targeted killing took place in the province between Jan 1 and Aug 5, but 1,035 cases of murder, 103 of extortion and 118 of kidnapping for ransom were reported. There were also 10,172 incidents of crime against persons, 31,107 against property, 16,745 miscellaneous, 17,320 local and special law, 535 fatal and non-fatal and 24 of blasphemy reported.

Crimes in August

The Sindh police chief also shared the crime report for August in specific.

Crimes against women, children and minorities

He disclosed that 73 cases of crimes against women were reported from different areas of Sindh.

Of these, 24 were reported from District East in Karachi, 18 from District South, five from other zones of Karachi, 10 from Hyderabad, six each from Sukkur and Larkana, three from Shaheed Benazirabad, and one from Mirpurkhas, said Maher.

A total of 19 cases of crimes against minors took place across the province. Eight of these cases surfaced from Karachi’s District East, seven from West and two each in South and Hyderabad region.

Besides those, four incidents of crimes against minorities were reported from different areas of the province, of which two were from Mirpurkhas and one each from Sukkur and the District East of Karachi. The press release did not elaborate on the nature of the crimes against the minorities.

Shah expressed annoyance on being informed that 40 rape cases, and 272 cases of kidnappings — which he said had almost doubled from 192 in the previous year — had surfaced this year.

Shah said he would not tolerate any crime against women, children, minorities, and cases of kidnapping and drug trafficking. He said his warning should be considered as “guiding principles”.

“I am, however, establishing a separate unit to monitor crime situations at the CM House, therefore a drop in crime rate should be observed in all the police zones and regions of the province” he said.

Theft of contraband, cases involving drugs 

The Sindh police chief told the CM that 44 cases of theft of contraband items such as petrol and diesel were reported in the province, including 32 in Hyderabad, seven in Mirpurkhas and five in Karachi's South. 

He added that 244 cases involving drugs were reported in Sindh, of which 59 occurred in South, 66 in East and five in West districts of Karachi; 63 in Hyderabad; 19 in Larkana; 17 in Mirpurkhas; and 15 in Sukkur.  

Street crime in Karachi

The meeting was informed that 14,816 cases of mobile phone snatching, 137 of four-wheel drive vehicles being snatched, 995 of four-wheel drive vehicles being stolen, 2,635 of two wheelers being snatched, and 28,784 of two-wheelers being stolen have been reported in the city.

Despite the aforementioned criminal activities, the IGP said the overall law and order situation “is under the police’s control”.

He told the gathering that 674 criminal gangs were busted, 61 terrorists arrested/killed, and 9,628 dacoits were arrested/killed in 960 police encounters.

The police recovered three LMGs, 77 rifles, 94 SMGs/Kalashnikovs, 368 shotguns, 110 grenades, and 5,163 pistols, he added.

Furthermore, as much as 7,502 kilogrammes of hashish, 198kg of heroin, and 75.31kg of ice crystals (meth) were confiscated. In 6,607 raids at the drug peddlers’ dens, 10,396 drug dealers were held.

Crime in Hyderabad

IGP Maher said the Hyderabad range was traditionally a low crime area, except for Dadu district where violent incidents are still being reported.

At this, CM Shah told the IGP to convey his displeasure to the officials in the Hyderabad police range, while referring to the murder of Dodo Bheel and the burning of Shankar Malhi’s house.

The CM pointed out that Sukkur and Larkana ranges were showing rising crime trends while citing the case of Ajay Kumar Lalwani, a local journalist of the Sukkur region. 

“I am quite upset to know that 69 women have been killed in the name of honour,” said Shah.

He directed IGP Maher to get each of the honour killing cases investigated and throw the offenders behind bars.

Police accountability to increase

The chief minister, expressing his displeasure over the rise in crime, said he was developing his own system to record crime situations and that would serve as a district-wise database to hold the concerned police accountable.

“We have to work together in a well-coordinated effort to improve the overall law and order situation in the province,” he said. 

He ordered the IGP to launch a vigorous operation against the drug mafia from Saturday and inform him about the progress on a daily basis.

The chief minister said he would be reviewing law and order twice or thrice in a month and would take action accordingly.  

He directed IGP Maher to strengthen the intelligence department and keep him and the concerned police officials informed about the law and order situation in the province.

Shah also directed the Sindh chief secretary to design a policy under which every police officer would put in their effort by working in the investigation wing to qualify for the next promotion.

“All the police officials, starting from inspectors to SSPs, would be awarded Annual Confidential Reports based on their services in the investigation department,” said Shah.