(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): Many residents of this capital city of western Farah province say incidents of armed robberies and other criminal cases involving unknown gunmen have recently increased in the province.
Farid Ahmad, a resident of the 3rd police district of Farah City, told Pajhwok Afghan News that criminal incidents had recently intensified.
About six months back, he said, armed robbers took away his car in front of his house and managed to flee. In another such incident, Ahmad said, robbers stole phone sets worth 200,000 afghanis from his shop.
Mohammad Arif, a resident of the 5th police district, said: €œAbout a month back when I was going home, armed robbers intercepted \my car in front of my house at 7pm.€
A local journalist, who did not want to be named, said armed robbers who had the backing of strongmen were committing such activities. Without naming someone, he added some powerful individuals relating to a mafia group had threatened him.
€œA month ago, I was making a report on narcotics, when I returned from a drugs selling area, one dealer came with several of his armed men and threatened me against publishing the report.€
The reporter said he did not want to work on drugs related reports because his life was in danger.
Baryali Ghafor, a civil society activist, claimed most of irresponsible armed men were linked to local authorities because common people could not carry weapons.
Baryali complained three people were shot to death in recent months and several car-lifting incidents and motorcycles stealing had taken place in Farah City.
Mohammad Dawood Haqyar, another civil society activist, expressed similar views.
In response to these complains, provincial crime branch police chief Mohammad Omar Najib rejected the claims and said four vehicles had been stolen in the past two months and three of them had been recovered by police and handed over to their owners.
Without giving exact numbers, he added, several people had been detained in connection with robbery incidents.
Residents urged local authorities to pay serious heed to preventing criminal incidents and collect weapons from irresponsible men.
New governor Abdul Basir Salangi, who took over about three weeks ago, said insecurity created by Taliban insurgents had paved the ground for criminal activities in the province.
He assured of taking serious steps against militants and criminals. Work was ongoing to prevent criminal cases, arresting drug dealers, armed robbers and increasing police strength.
Salangi said no one; including public representatives, would be allowed to take the law into their hands or support criminals.
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