Peshawar BRT screens warn passengers with photos of alleged female thieves

PESHAWAR: In response to the continuous rise in thefts on the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Peshawar police have adopted a new strategy by displaying pictures of 23 female suspects on digital screens installed at bus stations. These women are accused of being involved in theft.

Regarding this new strategy, SSP Operations Kashif Zulfiqar explained that “photographs of women who are involved in the theft of mobile phones and other items have been released to alert passengers.”

He added that the police have appealed to the public for their cooperation in identifying these women pickpockets.

Trans Peshawar spokesperson Sadaf Kamil told Urdu News that most thefts occur among female passengers because they are easy targets. “They have wallets that make it relatively easy to steal items,” she said adding that most of the pickpockets were women identified with the help of CCTV footage.

“FIRs have been registered against the female suspects whose pictures have been extracted from the CCTV footage and posted to inform the public,” Kamil said.

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She said that announcements are made in buses and at stations to warn passengers about pickpockets and thieves, but now the police have taken this additional step to help passengers identify and avoid thieves.

Farzana Ali, a senior journalist in Peshawar, commented on the issue: “If the pictures of women stealing in buses are put up to warn the public, there is no problem showing their faces.” However, she raised a concern: “If these women are only accused and their pictures are being shown in public places based on mere suspicion, how will these women be treated in our society? In Pakhtun society, such women may face serious consequences.”

Farzana Ali emphasized the need to consider the legal implications of this strategy.

It should be noted that some time ago, a gang was arrested for robbing women passengers in the BRT, and mobile phones, cash, and other items were recovered from them.