Karachi, Nov 27 An armed person stormed into a barber shop in Baldia Town in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, held customers hostage at gunpoint and took away their valuables, the local media quoted Karachi Police as saying on Thursday.
"CCTV footage of the robbery, which went viral on social media, shows a lone robber entering the shop while waving a pistol. The customers and barbers immediately sat down in fear as the armed man ordered them to comply. The robber proceeded to pat down each person individually, taking their mobile phones and cash before fleeing. Police suspect he had an accomplice waiting outside on a motorcycle," Pakistan's leading ARY News network reported on Thursday.
Earlier, on November 26, Karachi police arrested a driver who allegedly demanded extortion from his employer, ARY News reported.
Karachi continues to slide towards lawlessness and has witnessed a surge in crime rate this year.
The latest incidents took place even as Karachi law enforcement agencies claimed a reduction in street crimes across the city, attributing the decline to increased surveillance and law enforcement efforts.
The Karachi Police officials have highlighted the role of CCTV cameras in crime prevention and monitoring.
However, analysts fear that 2025 is turning out to be no different than 2024 for residents of Karachi in terms of rampant street crime incidents, which have resulted in the death of many people since January in the provincial capital.
According to the data released by the Pakistani Police last year, more than 250 people in Karachi were shot dead and 1,052 others were wounded by street criminals between 2022 and 2024.
Many families in Karachi have lost their loved ones to street crimes, while others continue to live in fear of being the next victims. Most citizens claim that no street in the metropolis is safe, as they remain vulnerable to street criminals even amid bustling markets and broad daylight, Geo News reported, earlier this year.
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