Strict laws proposed to curb mobile theft in Pakistan

Mobile phone snatching in Pakistan may soon be classified as a non-bailable and non-compoundable offense, after a parliamentary committee on Wednesday reviewed a new bill aimed at strengthening laws to tackle rising street crime.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control discussed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2025, during a session chaired by Khurram Shahzad Nawaz. MNA Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan briefed the committee on the need to close legal gaps that allow mobile-phone and street snatching offenders to easily get bail.

Hassan explained that current laws only cover general theft and do not specifically define mobile-phone snatching, creating loopholes that criminals exploit. The proposed bill introduces Section 382A to the Pakistan Penal Code of 1860, formally defining snatching and street crime.

Under the amendment, any act of threatening, intimidating, or forcing someone to hand over movable property, including mobile phones or jewellery, would be classified as snatching or street crime. Offenders would face rigorous imprisonment for up to ten years, along with a fine, matching the punishment for theft under Section 382 when violence is involved. Moreover, the bill seeks changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1898 to allow cases committed in public with firearms to be tried in special courts. Offenses under Section 382A would become non-bailable and non-compoundable, and police could arrest suspects without a warrant.

Hassan noted that the bill has been sent to home departments in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad, receiving endorsements from all provinces and regions. A senior Ministry of Interior official also expressed support. Meanwhile, a representative from the Law Ministry agreed with the draft but requested additional time to refine its text. Consequently, the committee deferred further discussion and will revisit the bill in its next meeting to finalize the amendments.