KARACHI: A paramilitary Rangers official was killed while trying to prevent an armed robbery in Shaheed Benazirabad District on Tuesday, police said, amid a rise in crime in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.
Tanveer Hussain Tunio, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in the district, told Arab News a Rangers team was on patrol duty when officers encountered an ongoing armed robbery attempt.
“They intervened to arrest the suspects, and during the exchange of fire, a Rangers officer got injured who later succumbed to his wounds during treatment at hospital,” the SSP said.
“Both suspects have been arrested, and an investigation is underway.”
The deceased official has been identified as Sharak Rizwan, according to a report on the incident submitted to the Sindh inspector general police.
“Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has saluted the sacrifice of Rangers Inspector Sharak, who was martyred in an attack by unknown assailants in Shaheed Benazirabad,” state news agency APP reported.
“Expressing heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the Minister said during this time of grief, nation stands with the martyred inspector’s family and shares their grief.”
Crime rates are high across Sindh, with over 60 percent of crimes taking place in the provincial capital of Karachi, the country’s commercial hub and largest city.
The metropolis of 20 million that hosts the stock exchange and central bank has for decades been beset by armed violence. While an armed campaign led by the military against gangs and suspected militants in the city brought down crime rates after 2013, violence and crime rates have been on the rise again since last year, with shooting deaths in muggings and robberies once again becoming a daily headline.
In July, Karachi was ranked by Forbes as the second-riskiest city for tourists, with a rating of 93.12 out of 100, second only to Venezuela’s Caracas, which had a score of 100, while Myanmar’s Yangon ranked third with a score of 91.67 out of 100.
According to data from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, at least 90 people have been killed in street crimes in Karachi this year while at least 50,000 crimes were reported in Karachi between January and August.
