The much-anticipated grand opening of a mall in Pakistan’s Karachi descended into chaos as hundreds of people forcibly entered the premises of Dream Bazaar Mall, leading to widespread vandalism and looting. The incident took place in Gulistan-e-Johar area and videos from the chaotic scene have gone viral on social media.
The Dream Bazaar Mall, an ambitious project built by a Pakistani businessman living abroad, had generated significant buzz on social media leading up to its opening. With special discounts offered to entice customers, the mall's opening day promised to be an event for the city. However, the situation quickly spiraled out of control shortly after the mall opened its doors at 3pm.
As soon as the gates were unlocked, a massive crowd surged forward, overwhelming the security personnel and forcing their way into the mall. According to videos circulating on social media, the frenzied crowd began vandalising property and looting stores, and were even seen attacking the security personnel trying to control them.
Shattered glass, scattered merchandise, and overturned fixtures were strewn across the mall as people seized whatever they could get their hands on, stuffing bags with stolen goods or carrying items away in their arms.
A Huge Mall Dream Bazar was built by a Pak foreign businessesman in Karachi, Pakistan- On it's inauguration yesterday he offered special discount for Pakistani locals..... and the whole Mall was looted pic.twitter.com/ah4d2ULh3lMegh Updates (@MeghUpdates) September 1, 2024
The aftermath of the rampage was captured in numerous videos shared online, revealing a devastated shopping center. The floors were littered with discarded clothes, and the once-pristine store displays were reduced to rubble. Disturbingly, some of the looters even filmed themselves as they stole from the stores, seemingly unashamed of their actions.
A person associated with one of the stores says in a video, "We worked for 20 days, gave more time than family... The discounts would have been available all year around. Look how the people repaid us."
The incident has sparked outrage among the public, with many criticising the lack of security and the apparent lawlessness that allowed the situation to escalate. Comments on social media reflected a deep sense of frustration with the state of civic discipline in the country.
"When someone is trying to do good for you, be thankful! Not loot them instead," one user commented.
A second wrote: “The country which has predominantly been ruled by military has zero discipline in the civic way of life. What an irony!”
One commenter stated, "A mob never had any religion or national label” while another joked: “That's 100% discount alright.”
The videos of the chaos have been viewed millions of times on social media platforms.
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