Karachi street criminals shift from motorcycles to luxury cars, police say

Street crime in Karachi is taking a more sophisticated and alarming turn, with criminal gangs increasingly abandoning motorcycles in favor of expensive cars to carry out robberies and evade police detection, 24NewsHD TV reported on Saturday.

For years, most street crimes in the city were associated with armed suspects arriving on motorcycles and fleeing quickly after snatching valuables from citizens.

However, police officials said the trend has evolved rather than disappeared, with criminals now changing their methods to avoid suspicion.

According to recent investigations, gangs involved in street crimes and house robberies have started using high-end vehicles during operations.

Authorities said the vehicles allow suspects to move through the city more freely and reduce the chances of attracting attention from law enforcement agencies.

Police officials reviewing CCTV footage in several recent cases discovered that many of the vehicles used in crimes had fake or altered registration number plates.

Investigators also found that some of the cars had been rented before being used in criminal activities.

Data released by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee showed that more than 14,000 criminal incidents of various types have been reported in Karachi so far in 2026.

The cases include street crime, car and motorcycle theft, snatching incidents, and murders.

According to the figures, more than 2,300 incidents were reported in Karachi’s South district alone.

Although overall crime levels have declined compared with last year, security experts say law enforcement agencies could further improve crime control if provided with modern technology, advanced surveillance systems, and additional personnel.

Police officials say investigations into organized criminal networks using rented luxury vehicles are continuing.