KARACHI: Police in Pakistan’s southeastern Sindh province announced on Wednesday they apprehended 487 wanted and absconding criminals by using cellphone applications like Hotel Eye and Talash in 2023, a particularly violent year marked by over 134 killings of people in Karachi who lost their lives while trying to resist street crimes.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, has long grappled with transnational militant networks, sectarian groups and local gangs, leading to a comprehensive security operation launched by paramilitary rangers in September 2013.
To combat the persistent challenge of street crime, Sindh police launched Hotel Eye in 2017, enabling hotel owners to upload guest details for police monitoring.
In October 2022, the Talash or “Search” app was introduced, facilitating police in identifying criminals through thumbprints during snap checks.
Launched formally by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah in July, the apps have been instrumental in capturing hardened criminals, including many on the wanted lists.
“A total of 259 suspects were arrested across various districts of Sindh, including Karachi, involving 122 proclaimed offenders and 137 absconders with the help of the Hotel Eye Management System,” said a police handout.
“The Talash app not only helped arrest 228 absconders and proclaimed offenders during snap checking, raid operations and other measures but also enabled the identification of 146 dead bodies,” it added.
According to Karachi police, 87,250 street crimes incidents were also recorded in the city that led to 134 fatalities.
Additionally, citizens lost 27,381 cellphones, 7,083 motorbikes and 258 cars in the city.
This marks an increase in criminal activities compared to 2022, when nearly 80,000 incidents of street crimes took place, leading to 115 deaths.
“While apps like Hotel Eye and Talash have assisted the police in apprehending criminals, and the use of technology is commendable, Karachi’s crime problem remains significant,” Nazir Shah, who has reported on crimes in the city for nearly two decades, told Arab News. “When one examines the crime landscape of Karachi and observes the escalating numbers of incidents, the achievement of the police gets overshadowed.”
Police in Pakistan’s southeast apprehended 487 criminals using cellphone apps in 2023
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Police in Pakistan’s southeast apprehended 487 criminals using cellphone apps in 2023
- The law enforcement agency launched Hotel Eye and Talash apps amid rising number of crimes in the province
- Sindh’s provincial capital of Karachi recorded more than 87,000 street crimes last year that led to 134 fatalities
Pakistan reports first wild polio case of 2026 despite vaccination campaigns
- Four-year-old girl infected in Sindh’s Sujawal district as virus persists in high-risk areas
- Pakistan conducted last nationwide campaign in January, vaccinating over 45 million children
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported its first wild poliovirus case of the year, health authorities said on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the disease in high-risk areas despite ongoing vaccination campaigns.
The latest infection was confirmed in a four-year-old girl in Sujawal district of the southern Sindh province, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis, mainly in children under the age of five. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.
“The case was reported through the polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad,” the statement said.
“The Polio Eradication Initiative is already analyzing the best response to tackle and prevent further transmission.”
In 2026, Pakistan conducted a nationwide polio campaign in January that vaccinated more than 45 million children, while the next national campaign is planned for April.
Since 1994, Pakistan has cut polio cases by 99.8 percent through vaccination efforts, reducing infections from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.
Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025. Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for more than half of the country’s polio cases in 2025, with 17 of the 31 infections reported from the region.
According to health authorities, 74 cases were reported in 2024.
More than 200 polio workers and police officers assigned to protect polio teams have been killed in Pakistan since the 1990s, according to health and security officials.
Militants often falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are part of a Western plot to sterilize Muslim children.
The vaccination campaigns are also undermined by parental refusals in remote regions.
