Armed gang makes off with police weapons

A gang of 15 to 20 armed robbers stormed a factory in Port Qasim in the early hours of Tuesday, tying up police personnel and a security guard before escaping with three rifles, loaded magazines, ammunition and mobile phones. The brazen robbery took place around 2:45am at an industrial facility where Special Protection Unit (SPU) personnel are deployed to protect Chinese workers, according to the FIR registered by Bin Qasim police. The robbers reportedly scaled the factory's rear wall and overpowered two on-duty police constables, a security guard and another policeman who was asleep. They tied the victims with ropes before taking away a government rifle belonging to Constable Irshad Ali along with a loaded magazine containing 30 rounds. The gang also seized a rifle and magazine containing 10 rounds from security guard Mashooq Ali, as well as another rifle with a 30-round loaded magazine that had been kept near sleeping Constable Mudassir Hussain. The robbers also snatched three mobile phones from the victims. After opening the factory gate, they reportedly secured it from the outside and fled with the stolen weapons and ammunition. According to the FIR, a constable alerted ASI Shaukat Ali Shah by telephone at 3:53am. The guard eventually managed to free himself and untied the others before informing the authorities. Bin Qasim police registered FIR No. 568 of 2026 under Section 395 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of ASI Shaukat Ali Shah, an administrative officer with the SPU CPEC deployed in the Port Qasim industrial zone. Investigators are collecting CCTV footage from the facility to identify the suspects. Police sources said Chinese employees work at the factory during the daytime, prompting the deployment of SPU personnel there for their protection.