RAWALPINDI: After a Careem taxi-driver was shot dead in a robbery attempt in Islamabad last week, another driver was attacked and injured on Sunday when he put up resistance to an armed robbery in Rawalpindi.
According to the police, the Careem driver, Rizwan Niazi, who hails from Mianwali, was attacked with a sharp object by one of two motorcycle-riding muggers, who made away with Rs18,000 in cash that the driver was carrying.
Rizwan told a private news outlet that he was heading home after turning off the ride-hailing app on Sunday night when two masked men riding a motorcycle asked him to pull over near Rawalpindi’s Saddar Metro station. Thinking they were asking for directions, he stopped his car.
The robbers then asked Rizwan to step out of the car at gunpoint and searched his pockets before looting Rs18,000 cash that was on him.
Fearing that one of the assailants would open fire after seeing a car approach the scene, the driver said that he grasped the gun that the robber was carrying. At this, the robber attacked the driver with a sharp-edged object that left his face injured and bloodied.
Rizwan then let go of the gun and the two robbers fled with the cash on their motorcycle, which did not bear a number plate. The driver had thrown his two phones in the back of the car, which the robbers were unable to take away.
The injured captain, who has been driving for Careem for nearly three months, claimed that he is a worker of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Mianwali chapter and was once a part of PTI chief Imran Khan’s security detail.
Police PRO Imran Kazmi said that the city police officer (CPO) of Rawalpindi had taken notice of the incident and directed Civil Lines DSP to register a first information report and make efforts to arrest the culprits within 48 hours.
According to a statement emailed to a local news outlet after the latest incident, Careem said its officials were in touch with captain Rizwan Niazi and providing all necessary support to him and his family.
Careem’s team also met Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Captain (r) Mushtaq Ahmed and SSP (operations) Najeebur Rehman Bugvi to apprise them of these matters.
According to the statement, Careem has set up safety and security committees in all its offices. The first meeting of one of these committees — comprising captains, travellers and law enforcement personnel — was held on Monday to come up with ideas and strategies to prevent similar incidents in future.
“Recommendations from the safety committee will be shared with police authorities for implementation,” the statement added.
