Gang of 'Afghan robbers' busted

Capital police claim arrest of two gang members within 24 hours of a house robbery

ISLAMABAD:

The capital police on Saturday claimed to have arrested two members of a robbers' gang consisting of Afghans and recovered cash, jewellery and other valuables they looted during a house robbery. The suspects committed a Rs40 million robbery.

DIG Operations Syed Ali Raza told a presser that the gang came to Pakistan from Jalalabad, Afghanistan a month and a half ago.

Revealing details, he said the suspects barged into a house, thrashed family members, looted cash and gold ornaments worth around Rs40m and escaped.

Upon receiving a distress call, the police were alerted throughout the district and a blockade was set up at the entrance and exit points. The police managed to detain two members of the gang by 7pm the next day of the robbery.

According to the DIG, the arrested robbers identified as Salama Khan alias Rizwan and Faisal Khan disclosed that they had come from Jalalabad a month and a half ago and settled in Sohan, a suburb of Islamabad, where they set up a camp and then carried out the offence after planning.

Their third accomplice is on the run, DIG Raza said and added that around 1,117 grams of gold, artificial jewellery and watches all worth more than Rs35m have been recovered from the accused. He told reporters that the previous record of the accused was also being checked.

He said the police team, who arrested the accused in a short time and recovered goods, would be rewarded with cash, adding efforts are also being made to arrest other accomplices.

The DIG Operations said that the Islamabad police are conducting search operations routinely and that the police had formal documentation of Afghans living in Islamabad.

He said if an Afghan comes with documents, they cannot do anything to them according to the law. They [Afghans] are allowed to live and work here. "The police, however, are trying to prevent all kinds of crimes in the capital."