Foreign gangs running Karachi extortion racket, police reveal

Foreign-based gangsters are operating an extortion network targeting businesses in Karachi, police have said on Monday, as authorities stepped up efforts to curb a recent rise in threats against traders and builders in Pakistan’s commercial capital.

The city has witnessed a fresh wave of extortion incidents over the past two weeks, with builders and traders receiving threatening international phone calls and, in some cases, facing attacks on their business premises, police have said.

Additional Inspector General of Karachi Police Azad Khan disclosed details about the development during a visit to the office of the SITE Association of Industry, where he assured industrialists that extortion cases were being treated as a priority.

Khan said that police had identified five alleged gangsters operating from abroad and that Interpol Red Notices had been issued against them. An Interpol Red Notice is an international request to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person pending extradition or other legal proceedings. According to Khan, the suspects had since reduced their activities.

He confirmed that Karachi Police had shared the telephone numbers and other details of the alleged extortionists with the relevant countries to facilitate further action.

Khan also said that police had recently carried out a crackdown against the ‘Samad Kathiawari’ group as part of ongoing operations against extortion networks.

“Extortionists are terrorising people; there is no concession on this,” he said.

Khan pointed out that law enforcement agencies had made significant sacrifices to restore peace in Karachi and remained committed to maintaining security in the city. He added that he was personally monitoring the situation.

Describing Karachi’s economic security as critical, Khan observed that a weakening economy could contribute to higher unemployment and crime. He also appealed to industrialists for their cooperation, saying that Sindh Police continued to face resource constraints and would not be able to purchase a new vehicle this year.