GUJRANWALA, Oct 30: The Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed its concern over the rising incidence of robberies and urged the chief minister to take effective steps for maintenance of law and order.
At a meeting held here on Monday presided over by chamber president Rana Shahzad Hafiz, the participants, including SVP Abdul Qadir and vice-president Muhammad Anwer Aslam, said Gen Pervez Musharraf lauded Gujranwala’s role for the progress of the country, but the law and order problem would retard foreign investment.
Meanwhile, the chamber has abolished half-day on Fridays and announced that the GCCI would remain open from 9am to 4:30pm to facilitate members and industrialists.
ROBBERIES: Dacoits looted houses of a trader, landlord and several passers-by and injured a man on offering resistance in and around the city on Monday.
Reports said four outlaws forced their entry into the house of trader Muhammad Ashraf in Usman Park and locked the inmates in a room. They made off with Rs80,000, 18-tola gold jewellery, a licenced pistol, mobile phone and other valuables.
In another incident, about six robbers stormed into the house of landlord Chaudhry Shaukat Ali at Kot Shahan village and took away gold ornaments, cash worth Rs85,000 and other valuables. They injured the house owner with an axe when he put up resistance.
Meanwhile, robbers intercepted about a dozen passers-by on Wahando Road when they were on their way to village from the city. The bandits snatched cash, jewellery, mobile phones and locked them in a room of an outhouse.
Later, residents of the area and police jointly chased the robbers and arrested three outlaws from Mandiala Tega village.
HUMAN SMUGGLERS: A raiding party of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday arrested three human smugglers.
Reports said Aftab Ahmad Qadari of international travels agency was involved in Rs7.5 million worth of fraud for sending people abroad.