KARACHI: Extortion threats have resurfaced in Karachi, with traders receiving chilling messages from unknown groups demanding money and warning of violence if they fail to respond.
In one reported case, a businessman received a blunt threat: “Respond to my message or we will shoot.” The warning reflects a worrying return of tactics once commonly associated with Karachi’s old “bhatta” networks — fear, anonymous calls, armed intimidation and direct threats to businesses.
Recent incidents suggest the intimidation is no longer limited to one market or one method. Traders have reportedly been approached through text messages, WhatsApp calls, international numbers, handwritten notes, bullets sent in parcels and firing outside business premises. Business owners say the pattern is familiar, and frankly, that is what makes it more frightening. Karachi has seen this before.
Police investigations have found that some extortion calls to Karachi traders came from numbers registered in Iran, Nigeria and the Philippines, while authorities have said inquiries into multiple cases are underway. The use of foreign-registered numbers has made the cases harder to trace, though officials maintain that local facilitators may still be involved.
The fear has also spread beyond small traders. Builders and developers have complained of rising threats, extortion calls and firing incidents. Representatives of the construction sector said at least 10 members had formally reported threats over five months, warning that continued intimidation could hurt investment and business confidence in the city.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar has acknowledged the resurgence of extortion threats and said the provincial government will not allow criminals to intimidate citizens or disrupt commercial activity. He said some traders had received threats after refusing to pay extortion money.
Karachi police have also claimed progress in several cases. In December, officials said they had traced 71 of 75 confirmed extortion cases during the year, arrested 91 suspects and killed six suspects in encounters. Still, traders say the fear remains because even one threat — especially one backed by bullets or gunfire — is enough to silence a market.
The renewed extortion wave has revived painful memories of the years when Karachi’s markets routinely received “parchis” demanding money. Law-enforcement operations had reduced that menace, but the latest threats show criminal groups are trying to regroup, using both old street-level fear and newer digital tools.
For traders, the demand is simple: arrests, protection and visible action before the threats turn into more shootings. Until that happens, many business owners say they will keep looking over their shoulders — not because they want to, but because in Karachi, a message on a phone can sometimes feel like a gun at the door.
