GUJRANWALA, March 11: A panic gripped the city on Friday when three girls were kidnapped from different localities within 24 hours.

Reports said the daughters of Mohammad Siddiq of Mehr Wazir Ali, Khwaji Ijaz Karamat of the Civil Line and Haji Shahzad of Naushera Road were kidnapped while playing outside their houses.

Following information that a gang of kidnappers, including women, was active in the city, the district police officer directed his force to recover the girls. The police raided various city localities to recover the girls, but failed. However, the kidnappers released the girls without demanding any ransom. The girls were found in various parts of the city.

Meanwhile, the Garjakh police claimed to have arrested a suspect on the identification of one of the girls from Naushera Road. He was identified as Allah Waris.

Further investigation is under way.

CRUSHED TO DEATH: A man was crushed to death by a bus in front of the income tax office on the GT Road here on Friday.

Elderly Asghar was crossing the road when a bus crushed him under its wheels. He died on the spot.

Following the incident, the relatives of the man and the residents of Ghulshan Colony became infuriated and blocked the road by burning tyres. They also smashed windowpanes of several vehicles.

The Cantonment ASP and senior officers of the motorway police reached the spot. The police baton-charged the protesters to restore the traffic, and arrested seven of them. Six people were injured in the police action. They were taken to the local DHQ Hospital.

It was the third accident at the same place during the last two weeks.