Karachi police chief says there has been reduction in land-grab cases

KARACHI: Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho claimed a reduction in land grabbing incidents. It may be mentioned that few days ago, a group of businessmen from Karachi had raised complaints about land encroachments at Bilawal House.

Addressing industrialists at the North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI) upon the invitation of Chairman Faisal Maize Khan, the Additional IG dismissed all these claims and stated that fewer complaints of land grabbing were received compared to 2023.

The rate of land encroachments and encroachments in 2024 has decreased. If there were any issues of land grabbing or other problems, cases have been filed against police officers, and they have been punished.

Responding to journalists’ questions, he said that there have been fewer complaints about land grabbing in 2024 as compared to 2023.

The rate of land grabbing and encroachments has decreased in 2024. He added that police officers have been held accountable and punished for such cases.

The Additional IG also announced that complaints related to land grabbing in 2024 would be made public soon. He further mentioned that land grabbing was negligible. He claimed that the police department has the highest number of punishments compared to other departments.

He stated that while the police are an auxiliary branch of the government, they are not under any political pressure.

He added that with the increasing population, new issues are emerging, and to address issues related to the “chingchi mafia,” relevant departments should collaborate, as it provides significant employment opportunities. However, he still instructed the DIG Traffic to resolve these problems.

He stated that the police are a law enforcement agency, and they are bound to enforce the laws enacted. He also mentioned that the issue of the “kunda mafia” should be addressed with the officials of K-Electric.

In Karachi, street crimes have decreased by 24%, and according to the CPLC report, incidents of mobile and motorcycle snatching have decreased.

Faisal Maize Khan, President of NKATI, addressed the gathering and said that for Karachi’s development projects, the government is ready to invest 60%, while the private sector is prepared to invest 40% in public-private partnerships.

North Karachi is a large industrial area. He said that products worth 30 to 40 million US dollars are being exported from this industrial area, and around 8,000 small, medium, and large industries are established in the region.

NKATI has installed more than 100 CCTV cameras in the industrial area for crime monitoring. No major crime has occurred in the industrial area in the past six months, although small crimes are still happening.

He further mentioned that a mafia is active in the area, illegally hooking up electricity to private PPMTs and selling electricity to households for 1,500 rupees per unit.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025