Safety tips: how to avoid snatching and street robbery
Mobile and bag snatching is the most common street crime in Pakistan's big cities, often by two men on a motorcycle. These tips help you avoid it, and tell you what to do if it happens.
On the street
- Keep your phone away at signals and bus stops. Most snatchings happen when a phone is out near traffic.
- Walk facing oncoming traffic so a bike can't come up behind you.
- Carry a cheap "decoy" wallet with a little cash in it.
- Don't resist an armed robbery. Your phone can be replaced.
Driving & riding
- Keep windows up and doors locked in slow traffic, especially after dark.
- Leave space in front of you at signals so you have somewhere to go.
- Late at night, stick to main roads, even if the route is longer.
- Check My route for the best time to leave before a late trip.
If someone snatches or robs you
- Let it go. Don't chase or fight back: snatchers are often armed, and people get hurt over phones.
- Get somewhere busy and well lit, then call 15 (police), or 1102 (CPLC) in Karachi.
- Before a late trip, tap Share trip and send the link to family (they tap “Alert me”). Hold the SOS button and they're alerted with your live location. If your phone goes quiet or you don't arrive, they're alerted too.
- Set a trip PIN (Share trip → More options). If someone forces you to stop sharing, type it backwards: the trip looks ended, but your family gets an SOS.
- Then block the phone through PTA with its IMEI, and report it to the police.
Phone & money
- Note your phone's IMEI (dial
*#06#) so you can block it through PTA if it's stolen.
- Turn on biometric locks for banking and wallet apps, and turn off SIM PIN bypass.
- Write down one emergency contact on paper and keep it in your wallet.
Emergency numbers
| Motorway Police | 130 |
| CPLC Karachi | 1102 |
Rescue, police, Edhi ambulance and the women-and-children helpline are all on the Emergency numbers page.