SIALKOT, June 18: The Jaamkey Cheema highway police claimed on Sunday to have arrested four members of an inter-district gang and recovered a rocket launcher and illicit arms from their possession.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, DPO Tariq Khokhar said Yasir alias Yasiru gang was wanted by the police in a large number of cases of extortion tax, dacoity, murder and kidnap for ransom. He said the police recovered an illicit rocket launcher, a kalashnikov, two rifles and as many hand grenades from the arrested gangsters.

He said the accused — Naveed, Nadeem, Karamat Ali and Saleem had recently demanded Rs1 million extortion tax from landlord Ashiq Husain of Gadiyala-Daska by making telephone calls. On his refusal, they had planned to target the landlord’s house with a rocket launcher, he said.

The DPO said the accused were going to Gadiyala village by a car (LWJ-7416), when the Jaamkey Cheema police started chasing the vehicle and arrested them. He said ringleader Yasir would be arrested soon.

Meanwhile, Mr Khokhar told the press that the Sialkot police had busted 17 inter-district dacoits’ gangs and arrested their 58 members during the last 45 days. He said the police also recovered the stolen property, including eight motorcycles, mobile phones, gold ornaments worth Rs12 million, a snatched oil tanker with 24,000 litre diesel.

He claimed that the police also arrested 283 POs and 145 court absconders during the same period.