‘Suprise raid’: 20 held for sale of illegal weapons, stolen goods

40 illegal buildings demolished as 33 kanals cleared of encroachments.

MULTAN:

As many as 20 people were arrested by Lohari Gate police on Sunday for selling stolen goods including weapons and electricity and gas meters.

Lohari Gate police also seized 10 electricity transformers and at least 200 electricity and gas meters in an operation that lasted four hours. The police said stolen equipment of Pakistan Railways was also seized in the raid.

The police registered an FIR under Sections 394, 186, 148, 149, 13-B and 65 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Shah Rukne Alam Town officer (regulation) Abdul Khalik Mirza.

Station House Officer Mirza Saleem said they had also recovered weapons including two 0.44 bore rifles and 10 cartridges from the suspects.

He said the police would take assistance from officials of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) to track the particulars of the stolen electricity and gas meters.

The police also assisted the district administration in removing encroachments from 33 kanal land in Daulat Gate, New Multan and Manzoorabad, Shah Shams Colony and along Masoom Shah Road.

As many as 40 buildings were demolished from the land, most of which was owned by Government Vilayat Hussain Islamia College.

The district administration officials said the land worth more than Rs3 billion had been illegally occupied for 35 years.

DCO Zahid Akhtar Zaman told The Express Tribune that the provincial government was considering constructing a playground on the land.

Govt Vilayat Hussain Islamia College principal Shamim Arif said the number of students at the college had increased over the past few years and was now more than 1,000.

He said the land recovered from illegal occupants would be used to expand college facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2012.