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Organised crime in Pakistan

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Pakistani Mafia
Founded1980s
Founding locationPakistan
Years active1980s - present
TerritoryPakistan, Afghanistan,[1] Australia,[2] Canada,[3] Greece,[4] Iran,[5][6] Nepal,[7] Norway,[8] Oman,[9] Saudi Arabia,[10] United Kingdom[11]
EthnicityPunjabis, Muhajirs, Pashtuns, Saraikis, Sindhis, Balochis, British Pakistanis, Pakistani Americans, Pakistani Canadians, Pakistani Australians, Pakistani Norwegians
Criminal activitiesDrug trafficking, weapon trafficking, smuggling, robbery, highway robbery, dacoity, contract killing, assassination, fraud, prostitution, money laundering, land grabbing, counterfeiting, extortion, illegal gambling, murder, kidnapping, tax evasion and forgery[12]
AlliesBaybaşin family

Organized crime in Pakistan refers to the activities of groups of organized crime in Pakistan. The Pakistani mafia is spread across many countries and are mostly ethnically based. The Pakistani mafia is involved in drug trafficking, assassination, land grabbing, arms smuggling and various other illegal activities.[citation needed]

A United States Congressional report claims that the world's third most wanted fugitive and Indian underworld mobster, Dawood Ibrahim's "D-Company has a 'strategic alliance' with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence".[13] Ever since he took to hiding, his location has been frequently traced to Karachi, Pakistan, a claim which Pakistani authorities have denied.[14]

Famous gangs

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Other known gangsters from Pakistan include Rehman Dakait of the Peoples' Aman Committee. Pakistan is also home to large drug cartels which export heroin created in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the largest producer of heroin, but due to no existing connections to international waters, most of its product are exported through Pakistan to various regions such as the Middle East, Europe, and Australia.[15]

The Chotu gang, led by Ghulam "Chotu" Rasool, was a gang that engaged in kidnapping, murder, smuggling, gun-running and highway robberies. The gang was based in the Kacha area of Rajanpur, Punjab.[16] The gang was also known for abducting people from Karachi, Baluchistan, as well as Rahim Yar Khan District in Punjab. Punjab Police conducted multiple failed operations against them.[17][18] The gang used light and heavy weapons procured from Afghanistan, including light machine guns, heavy machine guns and an anti-aircraft gun. In April, the Pakistan Army launched an operation named Zarb-e-Ahan against Chotu gang.[19] Resources said that previously four operations launched against Chotu gang were all successful on a small scale. The gangsters had put up a fierce resistance and indiscriminately fired on the law enforcers, killing seven people and taking 18 others hostage, including the station house officer. Punjab Rangers fired mortar rounds to halt any advance of the Chotu gang, who were using 24 captured police officers as human shields. After the involvement of the army on backup, the police had been successful in killing 54 dacoits, successfully making the gang surrender, which led to the arrest of the members and their leader. The police officers who were previously taken hostage were later released by the gang after its surrender.[20]

International activity

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Pakistani gangs are active in the United Kingdom, as well as several Scandinavian countries to a lesser extent, more closely resembling strictly organized crime groups.[21] Great Britain-based Pakistani organized crime groups are mostly known for drug trafficking, mainly heroin, gunrunning, and other criminal activities.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Haroon ahmedsaleem (2002). Taliban: Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia. I.B.Tauris. pp. 192–. ISBN 978-1-86064-830-4.
  2. ^ Graham, Ben (8 June 2018). "Ashfield Gang Rapists' victims call for deportation after attacker released from prison". News.com.au. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  3. ^ Results of the 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs (PDF). December 2003. ISBN 0-662-68124-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  4. ^ "Greek police bust vicious Pakistani gang that terrorised Acropolis area". Thema News. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Shot in Iran: Video confirms violent death of Lyari gang lord". The Express Tribune. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  6. ^ Arfeen, Syed. "Deeper and darker: A Pakistani gangster's Iran connection". Geo News. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Nepal police bust Karachi-Kathmandu terror link". India Today. 21 December 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  8. ^ Sethurapan, Nadarajah (15 May 2016). "A look at Norway's Pakistani gangs". Norway News. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  9. ^ Sathish, V.M. (24 September 2013). "3-day Oman kidnap drama ends as police free abducted Indian". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Saudi police arrests Pakistani gang who stole $2.6 mln from Riyadh exhibitions". Al Arabiya. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  11. ^ Harrison, David (7 December 2003). "Pakistani gangs are targeting us, say fearful black youths". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  12. ^ John Stapleton (17 November 2014). Thailand: Deadly Destination. A Sense Of Place Publishing. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-0-9925487-3-5.
  13. ^ "Dawood is a terrorist, has 'strategic alliance' with ISI, says US - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  14. ^ William C. Banks; Renée de Nevers; Mitchel B. Wallerstein (1 October 2007). Combating Terrorism: Strategies and Approaches. SAGE Publications. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-4833-7092-7.
  15. ^ "Heroin trade throughout the world". Interpol. Archived from the original on 2001-09-24.
  16. ^ Rehman, Asha’ar (2016-04-15). "Small matter of the Chotoo gang". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  17. ^ "Chotu Gang takes a heavy toll on raiding police". The Nation. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  18. ^ "Operation Zarb-e-Ahan: Every terrorist will be eliminated, says Sukhera". The Express Tribune. 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  19. ^ "Operation Zarb-e-Ahan now under Army control: ISPR". 2020-11-08. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2024-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^ "Chotoo, gang members surrender unconditionally to army: ISPR". DAWN.COM. 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  21. ^ "Caution: you are about to enter gangland Britain". The Independent. 20 August 1995. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  22. ^ Brownfield, William R. (May 2011). International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. DIANE. ISBN 9781437982725. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
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