Karachi has witnessed a major increase in number of robberies near the main cattle market before the Eid al Adha, which falls on June 29.

News coverage indicates that people are continuously getting robbed of their valuables while visiting the cattle market.

Social media is rife with such complaints.

Earlier this month, comedian Wali Sheikh posted a video to social media saying his mobile phone, watch, and Rs85,000 in cash had been snatched from him and his companion named Affan near Indus Chowk on the Northern Bypass.

In an audio clip, a person, who identified himself as Syed Abdul Sami from Syed Farm, claimed the robbers looted his mobile phone, laptop, and Rs700,000 when he was on his way to the cattle market. He was travelling to the cattle market to book a spot for his farm.

The message was circulated in various Whatsapp groups and also received by the author of this story.

A new location

For decades, the market used to be located at Scheme-33, along the super-highway. However, this year the market has been set up near Taiser town along the Northern Bypass.

Many people believed the location allowed the robbers to have a field day.

Hotspots

The following crime hotspots were shared with Aaj News by the SHOs of SITE Superhighway Police Station and the Gulshan-e-Maymar Police Station:

• Indus Village is situated on the southern side of the NorthernBypass, around 3.6km away from the renowned restaurant Al-Habib onthe Super Highway.
• Labour Square is located on the Northern Bypass, about 2km away fromthe cattle market when approaching from the Super Highway.
• ARY Pearl Residency Road is part of Gulshan-e-Maymar road nearBilawal Bhutto cricket stadium.
• Maymar Mor is situated at the intersection of the Super Highway andthe Northern Bypass-Super Highway link road near the renownedrestaurant Shaheen Shinwari on the Super Highway.
• A-25 Bus Stop is located on the Northern Bypass-Super Highway linkroad, about 1km away from the Super Highway.
• Go Petrol Pump, Ahsanabad, is situated on Maymar Avenue in thesouthwest of the cattle market.

On the other hand, the Station Head Officer of Maymar station, Bashir Ahmed denied reports of an uptick in robberies and claimed that not “a single robbery has been reported in the last 15 days”.

“About 350 policemen have been deployed on the roads to provide security to the people visiting the Cattle market,” he told AAJ News.

SITE Superhighway SHO Aurangzaib Khattak said, “My area is almost secure, and the robberies are occurring in the jurisdiction of Maymar police station.”