LAHORE, Sept 1: The local police on Monday claimed they had arrested 20 members of three alleged gangs of robbers.

Model Town police division asserted that they had raided a place in Township on a tip-off and apprehended five alleged robbers. Booty worth hundreds of thousands of rupees and two illicit weapons were also seized from them.

Ring leader Zubair Hussain alias Badshah of Kohar when sent to jail in a robbery case met inmate Shabbir Jutt and formed the gang. Other gang members were identified as Ali Ahmad, Amir Ali alias Billa and Irfan Ahmad.

Saddar division police claimed to have arrested eight members of an alleged gang of robbers after the police chased them when they were planning to enter a house in Marghazar Colony.

Police said they also retrieved Rs200,000 in cash and electronic items worth hundreds of thousands of rupees besides seven mausers, a rifle and 41 cartridges on the identification of the arrested men.

Those arrested were identified as Yasin alias Baba, Zahid Waheed, Ilyas, Shahzad Irfan, Omar, Khurram Shahzad, Abdur Rehman and Iftikhar Ahmad.

At least 21 crimes against property were said to have been traced on the identification of the accused, who allegedly confessed to having committed another 35 such crimes.

Defence police claimed having got hold of seven alleged robbers in a raid conducted on an information.

Saying that the accused were declared proclaimed offenders in several cases registered in Sheikhupura and Lahore divisions, the police alleged the arrested men had so far made a clean breast of committing 15 crimes.

Police also recovered jewellery and electronics besides two guns, a rifle and bullets from Sher Muhammad alias Shera, Pervaiz alias Mori, Allah Ditta, Farrukh, Zaman, Sarfraz and Riaz.