Armed men rob female students on college bus in Karachi

• Gold chain, mobile phones, Rs8,000 snatched from students.
• Case of incident registered on behalf of bus driver at New Town police station. 
• No progress made or CCTV footage acquired during case's investigation.

KARACHI: In yet another incident highlighting the city’s persistent street crime problem, three armed suspects riding a single motorbike allegedly boarded a college bus parked outside Jinnah Medical and Dental College in Karachi and robbed female students before fleeing the scene.

The incident took place within the limits of the New Town police station, where a case has been registered on the complaint of bus driver Abdur Rehman.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the bus was parked outside the college near the parking area when the suspects arrived and entered it. The circumstances have raised suspicions that the bus or its routine may have been observed beforehand, as the vehicle is said to operate on the route on a daily basis.

The FIR states that the three armed men carried out the robbery with apparent ease and targeted three female students on board. 

During the incident, a gold chain was allegedly snatched from one student after what was described as a proper check, while mobile phones were taken from two girls. 

In addition, one of the students reported that her purse, containing around Rs8,000 in cash, was also taken.

According to the complaint, one of the suspects was wearing a mask, while a cap was also used during the incident. The driver told police that all three suspects appeared to be between 25 and 30 years old and had arrived on a single motorbike.

After carrying out the robbery, the suspects fled the scene. The driver mentioned in the FIR that he would be able to identify the three suspects if he saw them again.

Police said statements of all three affected students had also been recorded, and details of the incident had been obtained from them. Officials added that efforts were underway to obtain CCTV footage from the area in an attempt to trace those involved.

However, no CCTV footage of the incident had emerged so far, and despite the registration of the case, no significant progress in the investigation had yet come to light.

The manner in which the suspects allegedly arrived on one motorbike, entered the bus, carried out the robbery, and escaped without immediate interception has raised fresh questions over security and law enforcement response in the area.

Following the incident, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Alam Odho took notice of the robbery involving female students of Jinnah Medical and Dental College and sought a detailed report from the Karachi additional IG, The News reported.

The Sindh police chief also ordered the immediate arrest of the accused and announced action against the SHO and other security personnel concerned.

He further directed police to ensure the identification of the suspects and proceed against them in light of the statements of the victims and eyewitnesses.

The incident has once again drawn attention to Karachi’s worsening crime situation. According to available figures, the city recorded around 40,000 crimes last year, while more than 11,000 cases have already been reported in 2026 in just two and a half months.

A large number of these incidents involve mobile phone snatching or theft, along with motorbike snatching or theft, which continue to be among the most commonly reported street crimes in the city.

Questions have also repeatedly been raised over where stolen mobile phones, motorbikes and vehicles end up after such incidents. Police have often maintained that stolen vehicles and bikes are taken across the provincial border, after which they are either not traced or are dismantled and sold.

Whenever major crime incidents take place, police usually announce renewed strategies to curb street crime, including an increase in surveillance and technological monitoring. 

Authorities have said that around 1,200 to 1,400 Safe City cameras have so far been installed in Karachi and that efforts are being made to use them for swift crime detection and response.

Police have also previously stated that where suspects are clearly visible in CCTV footage, their images can be run through a facial recognition system to help identify them and trace any previous criminal record. However, despite such claims and the availability of surveillance footage in many cases, concerns persist over why suspects are often still not arrested.

Meanwhile, criticism has also continued over wider enforcement mechanisms, including the issuing of e-challans in large numbers, even as complaints remain that the system is still not functioning properly and notices are at times being sent to the wrong individuals.