25 'land grabbers' held during last week in Islamabad

IGP warns strict action against illegal occupiers

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad police has arrested as many as 25 people involved in land grabbing from various areas in the city during last week, a spokesperson shared on Wednesday. The accused were nabbed during an anti-encroachment drive being conducted across the city to clear state-owned land, he added.

The suspects were shifted to relevant police stations after lodging first information reports against them. He said joint operations were conducted in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority and the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration. Around 1,257 kanals of government land valued at Rs1,557 million was retrieved from illegal occupiers, he maintained.

About 50 kanals were recovered from the jurisdiction of Golra police station followed by 1,000 kanals at Noon police station and 150 kanals in the area of Sabzi Mandi police station. Similarly, the illegal possession of diplomat shuttle service was also recovered after arresting the culprits, he added.

"Land grabbing will not be allowed in the federal capital and the law will take its course if someone is found illegally occupying land of another, especially state-owned land," the official said, quoting the Inspector General of Police Qazi Jamilur Rehman.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2021.