May 17, 2002	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1423

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GUJRAT, May 16: Lalamusa City police set free a bandit who was caught and handed over by residents of Karimpura locality, Dawn learnt here on Thursday.

A police source on the condition of anonymity told this correspondent that a dacoit had entered the house of railway employee Chaudhry Munir after scaling its boundary wall on Tuesday night. The dacoit was about to open the main gate for letting in his two accomplices standing outside the house when inmates woke up and caught him. Later, residents including Munir and Nazir handed over the dacoit to police and asked them to register a case against him. But the staff on duty told residents that the case would be registered with the permission of SHO on his arrival in the morning.

On Wednesday, complainants were informed that the dacoit had escaped from the police station. The police source claimed that ASI Tajammul had released the dacoit for the reason best known to him.

This correspondent witnessed a scuffle like situation between SHO Asad Ishaq and local residents who were protesting against the release of the dacoit. The residents argued with the SHO why he set free the dacoit instead of registering a case against him. The SHO replied them that the man in question was not a dacoit but a drug-addict.

Disagreeing with the SHO claim, complainants have asked the Punjab IGP to take a punitive action against the SHO.