During Ramadan 2024, Karachi experienced an increase in crime, with 19 deaths and 55 injuries reported as a result of resisting robberies, according to ARY News. A police representative revealed that armed robberies led to the fatalities of 19 individuals in Karachi.
This year has witnessed a significant increase in robbery-related fatalities in the city, reaching a total of 56, with more than 200 people injured to date. By contrast, the same period last year recorded 25 fatalities and 110 injuries due to resistance during robberies. The numbers were even more alarming in 2023, with 108 deaths and 469 injuries under similar conditions.
This year, Karachi police have been involved in 425 shootouts with robbers, leading to 55 dacoits being neutralized and 439 injured. The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) report states that in the first quarter of 2024, there were 22,627 crimes reported, which included 59 deaths and more than 700 injuries due to resistance to robberies.
In addition, there were reports of 373 cars, 15,968 motorbikes, and 6,102 mobile phones being stolen or snatched during this period. The CPLC report also recorded 25 extortion incidents and five kidnappings for ransom in Karachi, as reported by ARY News.
Karachi’s Police Chief, Additional Inspector General Imran Yaqoob, stated that a considerable portion of the city’s crime is caused by people from other areas, such as interior Sindh and Balochistan. Yaqoob pointed out that around 400,000 “professional” beggars and criminal elements, migrate to Karachi during Ramzan and Eid-ul-Fitr.
He also mentioned that the city’s daily crime rate, at 166 cases per day, is worrisome but still comparatively lower than that of other major cities in Pakistan.
During a meeting on April 8, Yaqoob emphasized to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other stakeholders that Karachi’s crime rate was relatively low, with an average of less than one case per police station, in spite of the challenges from external criminal elements, as reported by ARY News.