October 23, 2003	Thursday	Sha’aban 26, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Oct 22: Police seized narcotics and weapons, and arrested five alleged smugglers, including a 12-year-old girl, on the Grand Trunk Road here on Wednesday, officials said.

Acting on a tip-off that narcotics would be smuggled attempt from Bara in Khyber Agency to Punjab, the police erected barricade at two points on the G.T. Road.

The police signalled a car (Karachi-AC 901) to stop, but the driver accelerated. On the next checkpoint the police forced the vehicle to stop, they said.

The police recovered hashish, 6kg opium, a rifle, one Kalashnikov and 250 cartridges.

Those arrested were identified as Sardar Wali, Muskan, Abdullah, Naveed and his 12-year-old sister, Marium.

Sources said the police also recovered two fake number-plates of Pakistan Army’s vehicles.

According to the police, Marium was an orphan and a student of class 7. She told the police that she and her brother Naveed met a friend of their deceased father in Bara to borrow some money to pay their school fees and electricity bills. The friend, whom she would not name, promised to help her only when she would accompany the gang in the car.