By Imtiaz Hussain
SUKKUR: Police in Nawabshah have arrested two key members of a gang involved in inter-provincial gold and silver robberies, in a breakthrough credited to modern technology and intelligence-led operations.
According to SSP Shaheed Benazirabad Shabbir Ahmed Sethar, the arrested suspects, Muhammad Shafiq Ahmed, a resident of Lahore, and Habib-ur-Rehman from Karachi, confessed during interrogation to a series of high-value robberies across multiple districts, including Karachi. Authorities said the gang had systematically targeted goldsmith shops, using specialized tools to break into safes and locks.
One of the gang’s recent incidents, occurring around 20 days ago, involved the theft of an entire safe from a goldsmith shop in Umerkot’s gold market. Investigations revealed that the gang had stolen several kilograms of gold and silver from establishments in Umerkot, Larkana, and Karachi.
Police also identified two absconding accomplices, Irshad, alias Tutla, and Imtiaz, both residents of Karachi, who were reportedly selling the looted gold to various goldsmiths in Karachi and Lahore.
The gang’s modus operandi involved travelling across districts, conducting prior reconnaissance of their targets, and striking with precision. Items including specialized lock- and safe-breaking tools were recovered from the suspects’ vehicle.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that raids are ongoing to apprehend the remaining fugitives, with the full gang expected to be brought to justice in the coming days.
