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KABUL: Eleven dreaded criminals have been arrested in Kabul city, a senior police official said on Wednesday, amid an intensified crackdown on crime.
Two firearms, a stolen vehicle and a small cache of drugs have been seized from their possession during the arrest, said Interior Ministry in a statement.
The criminals are charged with armed robbery, disruption of public order, murder and stealing mobiles across Kabul city and Shakar Dara district, it added. The criminals will face judges in the judiciary soon.
The arrest marks an intensification of police crackdown on criminal networks as the city has been grappling with an unprecedented violent crime and small-scale armed robberies in the past month.
In an initiative to curb crime in the city, the police have posted pictures and names of wanted criminals in public areas. This has forced many criminals to turn themselves in fearing public embarrassment, which has helped the police substantially to arrest more mobsters and gang leaders.
The initiative marked a dramatic debut of a citywide anti-crime crusade headed by Vice President Amrullah Saleh. It was launched in early October in response to growing public alarm as an explosion of robberies, killings and drug-related crimes has swept Kabul, a city of more than 4 million, in recent months.
But Saleh, a tough-talking former national intelligence chief, has a sweeping vision of crime and an ambitious goal to tackle it in all forms. His announced targets range from pickpockets to land-grabbers, and from unregistered vehicle owners to powerful politicians who insult police at traffic stops or pressure them to free detained suspects.
