Police in Karachi said on Saturday they traced 71 of 75 confirmed extortion cases this year, arresting 91 suspects and killing six in ‘encounters’, amid complaints from businesses about rising threats in the city. The disclosure follows recent complaints by builders and developers who told provincial authorities that extortion demands had increased in Karachi, with some calls traced to numbers operating from abroad, prompting assurances of tougher enforcement by the Sindh government. “In 2025, a total of 171 extortion cases were registered, of which 75 were confirmed as genuine extortion,” police said in a statement.
“Of these 75 cases, 71 were traced, representing a 95 percent trace rate.” According to the report released by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Karachi, the remaining 96 cases initially registered as extortion were later found to be linked to financial disputes, land and plot conflicts, personal matters, fights, and other non-extortion-related disagreements.