Pakistan mall looted right after grand opening

August 30 saw the opening of Karachi’s biggest shopping mall. Dream Bazaar opened at 15:00, and minutes later it had already been mass looted. The opening day of the mall, built by a Pakistani businessman living abroad, was supposed to be a glorious day for consumers, filled with bargains and discounts, but the only thing that mattered to the locals was the five-fingered discount. Videos of the opening show utter chaos, as the crowd overwhelms security guards, the doors and finally the concourses, grabbing armfuls of merchandise from any store happening to get in their way.

The crowds were finally subdued by staff, who closed the doors to further ‘shoppers,’ but even this was not enough. The crowds shattered the glass doors and began on a second phase of looting, this time with even fewer security guards present. A scant number of police eventually arrived on scene, and, according to eyewitnesses, began beating people randomly, whether they were part of the looting or not.

Dream Bazaar posted on Instagram, simultaneously thanking Karachi for the ‘overwhelming response,’ while also announcing that the mall would be temporarily closing.