Man booked for charging illegal parking fees, beating policeman in Karachi

KARACHI: A case has been lodged against a suspect for seeking illegal parking fees and scuffling with a traffic policeman in Karachi's Saddar area on Saturday.

Police said the case was lodged by the traffic police official at the Preedy Police Station over the incident that took place on Friday at the Bohri Bazaar near Abdullah Haroon road.

As per the first information report (FIR), the suspect seeking illegal parking fee started fighting with the cop, upon the latter's intervention in the brawl that broke out over unlawful parking fee. Illegal parking is affecting traffic flow in Saddar, it added.

A video of the incident has also surfaced wherein it was claimed that upon a citizen’s refusal to pay illegal parking fees, the suspect collecting the fee gathered other accomplices and beat him. When the police official tried to intervene, he was also thrashed by the goons.

Police said action was being taken against the other suspects involved in the incident as well.

The private persons collecting parking fees charge their desired amount from Rs30 to Rs150 for a bike and Rs100 to Rs300 for a car, as the Eidul Fitr is just around the corner.

It should be noted that this happens just one month after Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab abolished fees charged at parking sites under the administrative control of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to facilitate the citizens in the port city.

"This decision has been taken in the public interest," said Wahab in a statement February 9, "[…] as the KMC is now standing on its own feet." He was referring to improvement in the financial situation of the metropolitan corporation.