May 29, 2002	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 16,1423

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GUJRAT, May 28: Afghan refugees, on failing to find a decent mode of earning, have started looting people, Dawn learnt on Tuesday.

The police launched an operation after a robbery at a petrol agency in Jalalpur Jattan in February committed allegedly by three Afghan refugees. They then robbed the house of an expatriate in Faizabad locality of the city in April. Later, a spate of robberies in various parts of the district had been reported during the last two months. However, involvement of Afghans in robberies was proved on May 19, when they tried to rob a house in the locality of Makki Masjid on Shadiwal Road.

Mr Ibrahim, the house owner, told Lorry Adda police that four Afghans barged into his house and held the family at gunpoint. They were busy in collecting cash and other valuables when one of his family members stabbed one of the robbers. They tried to overpower another robber. On it, the bandits became nervous and opened fire on them, injuring four of the family members and a dacoit. They took away Rs23,000 in cash and 20 tolas of gold jewellery leaving behind their two injured accomplices. One of the injured robbers, Habibullah, died while the other injured, Mir Jan, was caught by the area people. Mir Jan later identified his two absconding accomplices as Muhammad and Rehmat.

However, police registered a case against six people, including two unidentified outlaws. Later, the Lorry Adda police arrested more than two dozen Afghan refugees and harassed them that they would be named in the FIR in place of two unidentified robbers.

A policeman told Dawn on condition of anonymity that police released all the refugees after taking Rs10,000 each. Similarly, Civil Lines, Shaheen, Shahdaula, Kunjah, Lalamusa city and Dinga police picked up more than 200 Afghans and released them after taking bribe, he added.

According to unconfirmed reports, more than 20,000 Afghan refugees had been living in several parts of the district.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said higher authorities have directed them to evict the Afghan refugees from the district.