Who would have thought that Islamabad’s nullahs would be used to carry out thefts and provide shelter to robbers?
Turns out that a gang of robbers, who have been creating panic in the capital, were using the drains, or nullahs, to carry out their activities.
According to reports, the police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) made the discovery after they found a hideout near Jinnah Avenue in F-7 and uncovered a makeshift room in one of the drains, with all the requirements for a bedroom and living room.
An investigation into the matter was carried out after more than a dozen robberies took place in F-10, F-11, G-10 and G-11. The investigation team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hakim Khan studied the areas where the robberies took place and found that all the houses that were robbed were located near drains.
Surveillance of the drains revealed that the suspects were using them for their movement.
Though most of the suspects escaped the police raid, two people were later arrested and the stolen goods confiscated. The police said that there were eight to 10 tributaries leading off from the drain they raided, which made it difficult to follow the suspects further.
Those arrested during interrogation revealed that they were part of a five-member group and the remaining three members had fled to Afghanistan following the raid. They shared that they stayed in a city for a few weeks, robbed several houses, and then travelled to Afghanistan with the stolen items with the help of local facilitators who were given 10 to 15 per cent of the stolen items.
The apprehended further said that houses near nullahs were chosen for robberies to be carried out at sunset and sunrise. They revealed that they entered the houses by cutting through grills and then held residents hostage before carrying out their robberies.
