Karachi police say they arrested a man on Monday while he was taking 40 allegedly stolen mobile phones to sell. The handsets belonged to women who had attended a supposed job fair in Gadap, where 59 applicants were allegedly deprived of their phones. On Tuesday, several complainants struck the suspect with slippers as he was brought before a Malir magistrate, who granted police a day’s physical remand. The footage soon made the rounds online. Whatever the women’s anger, justice cannot be dispensed outside a courtroom. The alleged deception that brought them there deserves much closer scrutiny.
According to investigators, the organisers advertised jobs through a WhatsApp group, enlisted a female coordinator and arranged transport to a rented farmhouse. The women were reportedly promised Rs2,000 a day for a 25-day assignment, with meals and transport thrown in. They were then told to deposit their phones before the interviews. By the time they realised something was amiss, the man who had collected the devices had disappeared. The elaborate arrangements had apparently lent the exercise an air of legitimacy.
Gallup Pakistan’s analysis of the 2024-25 Labour Force Survey puts female unemployment at 9.7 per cent, with joblessness among urban women approaching 18 per cent. Women’s labour-force participation stands at just 24.4 per cent. For someone struggling to make ends meet, Rs 50,000 for less than a month’s work is an offer worth considering. Those tempted to lecture the complainants about gullibility might first consider how difficult it is for women to find decently paid work.
Since women already face questions about where they travel, whom they meet and whether work outside the home is worth the trouble, such incidents can hand fresh ammunition to those who would rather keep them indoors. The alleged fraud should be grounds for pursuing its perpetrators, rather than questioning the women’s judgement in seeking employment.
A mobile phone may hold access to bank accounts and private correspondence. Police should establish whether any personal information was compromised, recover the remaining 19 devices and facilitate the return of those already seized.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah deserves credit for rightly ordering action when the case first came to light. The subsequent arrests and recoveries show that investigators have made headway. They must now trace the advertisements, establish how the name of a private housing project was used to attract applicants and build a case that stands up in court. There is also a case for making genuine recruitment advertisements easier to verify, especially those circulated through informal online channels.
The women went looking for an honest day’s work and ended up seeking the return of their belongings. Their grievances deserve a fair hearing, while the accused must face the law. What would add insult to injury is allowing this episode to become another excuse for discouraging women from earning a living.
