PESHAWAR: Additional Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon on Friday termed drugs and unemployment major reasons behind rising street crimes in Karachi. He assured the police will do its best to arrest the killers of journalist Athar Matin.
Memon was talking with to media after meeting Sindh High Court Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh said that the Karachi police have always accepted challenges.
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The Karachi police chief said the murder of journalist Athar Matin was a very tragic incident and the police will do its best to arrest his killers. The Additional IG said that the policy over street crimes is very clear. He said that the police is checking record of street criminals and will identity the culprits behind the journalist’s murder soon. The police chief added that the areas, considered as hotbed of street criminals will be investigated.
He reiterated that one of the main reasons behind the rising Street crimes in Karachi are unemployment and drugs.
Athar Matin, a senior producer of private news channel Samaa TV, was killed North Nazimabad area of Karachi on Friday morning when, according to police, he “resisted a robbery”. However, SP Gulberg Tahir Noorani said that he was on his way home after leaving children at school when he was stopped by two persons. However, Matin resisted and hit the robbers with his car. According to him, the accused opened fire and fled on a citizen’s motorcycle. The police said that bullet casings and a motorcycle have been seized while CCTV camera recordings are also being examined.
The Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) has demanded immediate arrest of the killers. A statement issued by all members of the working committee, including KUJ President Shahid Iqbal and General Secretary Fahim Siddiqui, said that attacks, torture and killings of journalists were on the rise in the country.
As many as 15 people have been killed and more than 70 injured so far this year during robberies in Karachi. Across the city, street crime has also been on the rise, with the accused depriving citizens of thousands of vehicles, motorcycles and mobile phones at gunpoint and so far over 6,000 street crimes have been recorded in the port city.