January 4, 2003	Saturday	Shawwal 30, 1423

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QUETTA, Jan 3: Police have succeeded in tracing the gangs involved in bomb blasts, rocket attacks, sectarian killings and kidnappings for ransom in the province, the Balochistan IGP has said.

IGP Dr Shoaib was briefing newsmen on Thursday about the Balochistan police performance in 2002.

He claimed that the crime rate in Balochistan had been reduced by 11 per cent against the rate in 2001.

The IGP said the rocket attacks and bomb blasts, which left several innocent people dead and over 50 injured, in Quetta were a serious challenge for the provincial police and a threat to the citizens. But, he said, the Quetta police in January 2002, had busted the gangs involved in these attacks, and after that there had been no rocket attacks in the city. He said the police had also recovered biggest ever arms cache in Pakistan.

Dr Suddle said there was a 25 per cent decline in highway robberies, 22 per cent in vehicle’s snatching cases and 16 per cent in burglary incidents.

He also claimed that during the year 2002, there was a considerable decrease of 50 per cent in the bomb blasts in the province. Around 20 cases of the blasts had occurred in the province in the last year against the 37 of 2001. No rocket had been fired in the city in 2002, he added.

The IGP said the Balochistan police had also taken action against drug smugglers and recovered 1,283kg of hashish, 120kg of heroin, 53kg of opium and 4,338 bottles of liquor.

The police had also arrested 191 proclaimed offenders and seven military deserters, and recovered 520 illicit weapons last year, he told the journalist.