Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) officials have filed 10 cases of electricity theft against over 1,500 individuals during a crackdown on electricity theft in Matiari.
The cases have been registered at the Hala, New Saeedabad, and Matiari police stations, naming over 1,500 electricity thieves, Geo news reports.
HESCO officials reveal that approximately 60 per cent of electricity is being stolen across the district. To address this issue, they have initiated a crackdown, registered cases in the first phase, and will begin making arrests in the next phase.
Many citizens are unaware of the cases filed late at night by HESCO officials, but a significant number of individuals have been named in these cases.
Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) officials have filed 10 cases of electricity theft against over 1,500 individuals during a crackdown on electricity theft in Matiari.
Update: The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Lahore police in a press conference revealed that a gang of robbers who reportedly looted members of a Sikh family in Gulberg a week ago are citizens of a neighbouring country. However, they did not mention the country they belong to.
OCU SP Aftab Phularwan told Dawn on Tuesday that the police examined over 1,000 private cameras to trace the suspects who were living at a rented house in a private housing society near Raiwind and the landlord had not got his tenants (suspects) registered with the local police station.
He said the OCU arrested the ringleader of the robbers’ gang Shahrukh, his wife Rehana Shahrukh and a cousin Irfan, who were “citizens of a neighbouring country”.
In reply to a question whether the suspects belonged to India, he said “not at all”, adding that it would not be wise to name the country.
SP Aftab informed the media that the alleged robbers would conduct snatching bids with Sikh yatrees and inform a hostile agency to defame Pakistan. A uniform of a government institution was also recovered from their custody.
Mr Phularwan said that the OCU recovered from the suspects’ possession a wireless set, a 9MM pistol and the car they used in the crime against the Sikh family. Requesting anonymity another police officer told Dawn that the criminals arrested by the OCU police were Persian-speaking.
He said the suspects travelled to Karachi and almost reached there to finally flee to their native country after their crime in Lahore attracted the attention of Pakistani authorities, but OCU police traced the suspects through their mobile phone call records and arrested them.
Meanwhile, the Indian Sikh family met with Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman at the Civil Secretariat and IG Police Tuesday and thanked the Punjab government for arresting the accused and recovering the loot. The Chief Secretary assured them that such an unpleasant incident would not happen in future.
Previously, an Indian Sikh family headed by Kanwal Jeet Singh was looted by people dressed in police uniform on November 30 while they were shopping in Gulberg, Lahore. They were visiting Pakistan for the celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary. The robbers took away Rs400,000 cash and jewellery belonging to the foreigners, reports Dawn.
Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi took notice of the incident, speeding up the investigation, claiming that the ringleader of the gang, identified as Ahmad Raza, has been arrested, while raids are being conducted for the arrest of other members of the network.
The incident
CCTV footage, collected by the police, showed two suspected robbers in a white car. They stopped the Sikh family on the pretext of checking their documents. One of the suspects was clad in a police uniform and the other was in plain clothes.
They forced the Sikh pilgrims to produce their documents while sitting in their car, as per the CCTV footage. During checking, they snatched the woman’s bag that contained cash, jewellery, and other valuables.
The family could be seen in the footage running after the suspects’ car after the incident.
An FIR was registered as a case of fraud instead of robbery. The report further says that the robbers took with them 150,000 Indian rupees, PKR 300,000, jewellery, and valuable watches.
In the fiscal year 2020–21, Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), under state ownership, faced a significant financial setback, recording a staggering loss of Rs164.4 million.
The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) brought attention to the root causes behind this substantial financial downturn in its recently issued financial report for PSM.
Administrative negligence emerged as a primary factor contributing to the massive loss, with Rs164.4 million attributed to this oversight.
Furthermore, instances of theft exacerbated the financial strain, with stolen copper, brass, electric instruments, and cable resulting in a cumulative loss exceeding Rs6.49 million for the steel mills.
According to ARY News, the AGP’s report highlighted additional incidents of theft, including the disappearance of electricity poles, three high-tension (HT) wires of considerable value, a 132-KV transmission line, and tracks designated for freight trains.
The lapses in security arrangements by the PSM administration were underscored as a critical failure contributing to these losses.
Compounding the financial challenges, the report revealed that the PSM incurred a Rs5.62 million loss due to the unauthorised hiring of services from retired officers.
This improper utilisation of funds further strained the already precarious financial position of the state-owned entity.
Moreover, the PSM faced an additional financial setback of Rs4.33 million in terms of insurance services provided by a private company.
This multi-faceted financial downturn highlighted various areas where the PSM faced challenges, ranging from administrative oversights to security lapses and questionable financial decisions.
A recent case of embezzlement has come to light where a woman, who was the branch manager of a private bank in Islamabad, has resigned from her position following allegations of theft of an amount of Rs20 million from a customer.
The incident prompted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take immediate action by registering a case against the accused under Section 420.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused manager allegedly committed the crime by fraudulently withdrawing Rs20 million from the customer’s account without their knowledge.
The customer only became aware of the transaction after receiving a notification of the significant deduction from their account. The manager, in a bid to cover her tracks, presented a fake bank statement to the customer, assuring them that there was nothing to worry about.
According to 24 News, the FIA has taken a serious note of the matter and has included several sections, including 409, 419, 468, 471, and 489F, in the FIR to ensure that justice is served. The accused will be thoroughly investigated, and all evidence will be scrutinized to bring the perpetrator to justice.
This incident highlights the need for caution and vigilance when it comes to financial transactions. Even trusted officials can abuse their power for personal gain, and it is crucial to remain alert and report any suspicious activity.
Several CCTV cameras, generator batteries, and fiber cables were stolen from Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The cameras, reportedly worth millions of rupees, were installed to monitor the Pakistan Super League (PSL 8) Lahore leg matches.
The batteries of the generators that were installed for lighting in the stadium were also found missing. The theft has resulted in two cases being registered against the culprits at the Gulberg police station.
It is important to mention that security measures for cricket matches held in Lahore have always been strict, particularly following the tragic terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.
The team was on their way from their hotel to the Gaddafi Stadium when the attack occurred, resulting in six players being wounded, along with six security personnel and two civilians losing their lives.
The Talash (search) app was introduced by Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Monday at Central Police Office in an effort to combat street crime in Karachi with the help of contemporary technology.
According to Express, the regional police head said that the app would be an “effective tool” in the fight against crime at the launch event.
“This Talash App will be utilised as an effective and best weapon against crimes and in taking action against criminals,” the IGP said.
The device’s goal was to enhance criminal investigation and eradication, he continued, adding that the Sindh police were using technology more frequently to reduce crime.
Memon stated that a committee had been established to give investigators modern training, and that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had authorised spending money to strengthen policing by purchasing “world-class technology.”
The IGP stated that the device’s initial rollout was in Karachi and that it would “very soon” expand to other districts.
The device, according to Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) (Information Technology) Parvez Ahmed Chandio, is intended to reduce street crimes.
He claimed that it would guarantee identity checks while on patrol. The DIG continued, “This is transportable technology as it is easy to carry it.”
Chandio emphasised the device’s key attributes by saying, “Data of Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) and other institutions can be accessible using this device.
In order to avoid thefts, purse snatchings, and other street crimes ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, Sindh Inspector General Gulam Nabi Memon has placed the police of every precinct on the routes leading to Super Highway Cattle Market on high alert.
The decision was made knowing that sellers and buyers of sacrificial animals both carry large sums of cash in their pockets, making them targets for thieves.
In this regard, the chief of Sindh’s police presided over a conference to go over in detail the security measures related to Eid-ul-Azha.
Memon stated that it is important to ensure the execution of security measures and other choices pertaining to the contingency plan for Eid-ul-Azha.
He gave the order that police officers assigned to district-level security duty receive a thorough briefing.
According to him, security at imam bargahs, mosques, animal sacrifice sites, and the main thoroughfares of the cattle market and surrounding regions should be made extremely strong and extraordinary.
The IG stated that it is important to guarantee that the code of conduct on animal sacrifice is followed, and that in doing so, registered organisations, animal welfare organisations, and other stakeholders should be given the benefit of the doubt.
A further directive from the IG Sindh was to maintain passenger safety on all Sindhi highways and to improve communication between the police in all districts and the relevant highway and motorway authorities.
Officials were instructed to coordinate police picketing and patrols on highways, roads, and other designated locations while conducting checking and surveillance on Sindh’s inbound and departure routes as well as video recording.
During the holy month of Ramzan, around 1,600 motorcycles, 1,800 cell phones, and 121 four-wheelers were snatched or stolen in Karachi, according to provincial officials’ records.
On the other hand, considering street criminal occurrences in the city, seven people were killed and 43 others were injured. According to the police, there was a decrease in the theft of mobile phones, motorcycles, and vehicles.
Karachi police have undertaken a number of steps to curb the city’s escalating street crime events, most notably preparing a draught law for e-tagging of street criminals, with Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon stating that 11,000 suspects will be placed under electronic surveillance.
According to a draught law developed by AIG Karachi, this will be the first time the police in Pakistan will use the technology, and anyone caught repeating a crime will be tracked for two years via e-tagging.
In order to discourage mobile phone snatching in Karachi, the Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA) have decided to ban any non-Karachiite from selling mobile device in the city. Only people with Karachi addresses on their CNICs will be able to resell mobile phones at the city’s electronics market
KEDA President Mohammad Rizwan Irfan said the decision has been taken in response to a sharp increase in local mobile phone snatching incidents.
“The new SOPs have been devised in consultation with the police and the CPLC in order to control the rising cases of mobile theft,” said Rizwan, adding that 100-120 million mobile phones have been seized since 2016.
Talking to a local news publication, Chairman KEDA’s Law & Order Committee Hamza Memon said, “From now on, no shopkeeper will buy a mobile phone without a copy of the identity card.”
“Over one million stolen mobile phones have been handed over to the authorities in the past three years by shop owners,” he added.
