Pakistan: Gang of thieves looting cooking oil busted; used police van for crime, three arrested

Karachi police apprehended a three-member gang near the Garden Headquarters accused of looting cooking oil in a police van. The arrests were made following several reports of such robberies in the area over the past few months.

Those arrested include one policeman, the owner of a godown and one worker. The accused used to illegally seize cooking oil from trucks transporting the stock and then stored it in the godown, police told the local media. In a raid carried out by police on Thursday, over five members of the gang were named as suspects of the thefts in the area.

Dozens of robberies in June alone

According to the local media, more than a dozen incidents of robbery were reported in the area last month alone. Earlier this month, two persons related to the gang were apprehended by police in a successful operation after a tip-off, which led to further raids by police in the Defence and Clifton region.

The two suspects, Ashraf alias Achho and Asif, are accused of running a gang of thieves in the area. The gang named after Achho is believed to be operational in Karachi’s posh areas for the last 16 years.

Watch:Rains wreak havoc in Pakistan's Lahore, incessant downpour leaves 7 dead

In raids conducted on Thursday, the police officials also seized a significant amount of jewellery and other expensive items. Police added that one member of the gang, named Khurshid, was already serving time in jail after getting convicted for similar crimes.

Karachi: The crime city of Pakistan

Karachi has long been known as the ‘Crime City of Pakistan,’ owing to decades of violence and lawlessness, reported The Print. The Indian media outlet reported that around 56,500 cases of street crime were reported in the city last year by September.

In these crimes, at least 56 people lost their lives, while thousands had their mobile phones and bikes snatched in broad daylight.

The recent history of violence in Karachi underlines one point clearly: the city is quickly falling victim to the temptations of ‘power and influence’ on the part of political players, reported Asian Lite International.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE