Rawalpindi: Moti Bazaar: Many female shoppers deprived of their purses

[Naveed Yaseen]

Khalid Iqbal
Dozens of women in an Eid-shopping spree at historic Moti Bazaar Friday were deprived of their money as some women pickpockets reportedly entered the bazaar.

Though Moti Bazaar Union office-bearers were warning the shoppers on megaphone that they got information that some women pickpockets had entered the bazaar, yet many women could not save themselves from their activities.

The historical Moti Bazaar was packed with a large number of female customers for Eid shopping, but the surprising thing was absence of police officials there on Friday.

Moti Bazaar Union President Chaudhary Muhammad Iqbal said that they had hired private security guards to avoid any untoward incident. He said they had received information that some woman pickpockets had entered the bazaar as some customers complained about missing of their purses. He said after this they warned shoppers on megaphone again and again.

Shops at Moti Bazaar largely deals in women products that is why thousands of women visit the bazaar daily.

Some female shoppers while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday complained of missing of their purses. They said they could not find their purses at the time of payment.

Nazia Ahmed, a customer at Moti Bazaar, said that she brought Rs5,000 from house and kept it in her purse. She was busy in shopping but when she opened her purse money was not present in it. Some pickpocket has cut off the bottom of her purse to get the money, she said.

Shazia Ramzan, another customer, said that she could not buy any thing because her purse was stolen from her shoulder bag when she entered the bazaar. She went to different shopkeepers in search of the purse but could not find it.

Raja Muhammad Ansar, a security guard at Moti Bazaar, said that there should be lady constables here on special occasions. He said he could not check women despite having suspicion on many women wandering here and there in the bazaar since morning.

SP Headquarters Syed Ashfaq Anwar, when contacted, said due to main focus on security of mosques, the security deployment at Moti Bazaar on Friday was very thin. He said from Saturday they would take strict measures to avoid any such incidents.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=196826