LAHORE: A mother-daughter duo barely escaped a car snatching, robbery and possibly abduction attempt in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on September 3 on their way back to home after grocery shopping in Phase IV.
According to the details, five unidentified men approached the car on three motorcycles near Wateen Chowk around 10:20 pm.
The armed men, who had their faces covered with bandanas, tried to intercept the vehicle at gunpoint in the posh locality but they failed, as the duo managed to elude the suspected robbers despite several gunshots and a bike obstructing the path.
According to the CCTV footage of the incident, one bike blocked the car in the front, while the other two approached it from both sides. However, the robbery attempt failed, with the women shaking off the suspected robbers unharmed, with a punctured tyre and a broken window.
One of the robbers also dropped his gun inside the car in a struggle that ensued.
It may be mentioned that while DHA comes under the army’s jurisdiction, the police station is also close to where the incident took place.
About 1,800 Dolphin force personnel were appointed in different areas of the city in December 2017 yet incidents of armed robberies seem to be on the rise.
A similar incident was reported in Gulberg II in April 2018 when many people were reportedly mugged by criminals.
Police failed to act on these incidents despite the fact that a number of people have been robbed in Gulberg and DHA areas, according to a report in 2018. In fact, most of the victims had been allegedly discouraged from reporting the incidents by the police personnel, it had added.
However, the police force has always painted a rosy picture. In June this year, SP Dolphin Bilal Zafar claimed that there was a significant decrease in street crimes. He said at least 109 gangs involved in street crimes were arrested in the provincial capital.
Earlier on June 12, the Punjab inspector general police (IGP) had directed for refresher courses and new SOPs to improve the performance of Dolphin Police force.
