Cops & Crooks: Citizens catch 2 robbers who turn out to be cops

GUJRANWALA: Locals in the district on Saturday caught and held two robbers who turned out to be police officials.

The family who identified the robbers said that they had stolen Rs1.2 million from their house on January 7.

Aroop police area Lohianwala Phatak residents Lakar Mandi Tabrez Khan and Abdul Rehman were held at gun point by two robbers on Friday. When the two traders raised the alarm, a large crowd gathered managed to overpower the robbers.

When the robbers Muhammad Imran and Ali Hasan were frisked, the locals discovered that the men were deployed at the Lohianwala Police Chowki. After getting news that two robbers had been caught, a group of neighbours reached the scene. Among the group was a couple, Khair Din and Perveen, who identified the men as the robbers who had broken into their house on  January 7.

The locals flogged the police officials and demanded that the Police Department apologise on their behalf. Those present said that the police officials should be tried in court.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th,  2011.