SHEIKHUPURA, July 4: The Motorway police on Friday claimed to have arrested four members of an inter-provincial gang of vehicle-lifters and recovered three cars from their possession.

Motorway SSP Zafar Iqbal Awan said that eight outlaws were on their way to tribal area after stealing seven cars from Lahore. On a tip-off, a Motorway police squad led by DSPs Muhammad Iqbal and Jahanzeb took positions on different places.

After spotting the suspect cars, the police squad started chasing the criminals. On seeing police, the outlaws opened fire on them which was returned. After a brief exchange of fire, the police arrested four criminals and took into custody three stolen cars. The vehicles recovered are: (LRE-821), (LRL-6703) and (AJK-109). The four other outlaws, however, managed to escape along with as many cars, the SSP said.

The arrested outlaws were identified as Sher Bahadur Khan, Ashraf Khan, Musharraf Khan and Jahanzeb. They all belong to tribal areas. Police also recovered sophisticated weapons and cash from them.

The arrested outlaws confessed that they had stolen 117 vehicles in different parts of the province. They also made a clean breast that they had also snatched two cars in Chakwal and also kidnapped two girls. The recovery of the abducted girls had become a challenge for the Chakwal police, the SSP said.

Police have registered a case and are investigating.

Meanwhile, A-Division police claimed to have arrested 38 proclaimed offenders and recovered contraband, weapons and booty worth thousands of rupees from their custody, a police spokesman said here on Friday.