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| India-Pakistan |
| Cogs in the wheel |
| 2015-03-30 |
| [DAWN] Baba Mithal Abro's Thursdays for the past 40 years were spent outside Madni Masjid in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's F.B. Area. Many would look at the 80-year-old man, at his wrinkled face and flowing white beard, and assume he possessed some kind of saintliness. The old man must have giggled to himself countless times: he was never there to pray, he was always there to steal a cycle of violence, and he did it without arousing any suspicion. Once he had obtained his target, he would drive the stolen motorbike straight to Hub or a town nearby Karachi. Mithal's arrests always confounded officers and judges. Most would chuck his case out in disbelief, blaming sloppy investigations and crooked cops for having booked an innocent old man. His fate was only sealed after he stole a court clerk's motorbike from inside court premises, and was caught on camera doing so. A shocked judge had no other option but to convict him. Described by police officials as a "billion-rupee" black market, the economy of vehicular theft in Karachi brings together large purchasers, criminal gangs, the black spare parts market and errant government officials. Given the size of the city and the volume of vehicular traffic, there is neither a shortage of demand nor of supply. |
| Posted by:Fred |