After Karachi, Lahore is on the verge of becoming a safe haven for extortionists, Pakistan Today learned on Wednesday.
Criminals, posing to be members of the banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), demand money from traders and other affluent people. The citizens are forced to provide money via ‘Easy Paisa’.
According to police sources, some time ago the TTP terrorists killed three people in the city for not providing extortion money. This scared the affluent people and they started taking such calls seriously. Local criminals also followed in the footsteps of the Taliban and started making threatening calls to traders forcing them to provide money or else their children would be killed.
A well-placed source told Pakistan Today that these criminals use unregistered mobile phone SIMs and public call offices (PCOs) for such calls. He said an Urdu Bazaar trader received a phone call from unidentified people who demanded Rs 2 million. He, however, bargained with the criminals and sent them Rs 200,000 through Easy Paisa.
In another incident, Islampura resident Humayun Khan received a threatening call and was forced to provide Rs 500,000. Several other traders and affluent people have also received such phone calls.
A trader, on condition of anonymity, said, “I am scared for the safety of my family. We have urged the Punjab chief minister and police high-ups in this regard, but to no avail. If we cannot give them [extortionists] money they will kill us all.”
Baghbanpura mill owner Muhammad Waheed, jewelers Imtiaz Rashid and other jewelers have informed Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif about the gravity of the situation. Traders have started hiring personal guards.
Traders said, “If the government did not take the matter seriously Lahore will become another safe haven for extortionists after Karachi. The government will fail to control the situation afterwards. Police, intelligence agencies and other law enforcers should be issued instructions to provide security to the citizens.”
POLICE PERFORMANCE:
A police source said, “Names of several notorious criminals and proclaimed offenders have been surfaced in this regard. These people are involved in this heinous crime.”
Shadbagh police have registered a case against extortionist Nadeem alias Mitha for forcing a trader to provide Rs 200,000.
Sources also said jewelers across the city were getting threatening phone calls from criminals. Each jeweler in MM Alam Road Gulberg, Baghbanura, Shadbagh and Chah Meeran has been told to provide Rs 500,000. Shalimar police have registered two cases against unidentified extortionists. They also said criminals are also tightening their hold on other cities of Punjab.
Police high-ups said they were trying to get record of phone calls in this regard. They said stern action would be taken against those involved in making threatening calls to traders and other affluent people.
Investigation Wing DIG Zulfiqar Hameed said the CIA officials have arrested extortionist, identified as Abdullah. He also said the police have also seized as many as 15 unregistered mobile phone SIMs from him.
Abdullah is a resident of Gujranwala. He called Gulshan-e-Ravi resident Imran and forced him to provide Rs 2.5 million. Abdullah was arrested on the complaint of Imran. Abdullah said a few weeks ago robbers deprived him of Rs 250,000, adding that he started threatening calls for money as he wanted to go abroad.
The inspector general’s spokeswoman said that stern action would be taken against extortionists. She said special teams have been formed in this regard. She said, “They would uproot this crime as soon as possible by the grace of God.”
