LAHORE, Jan 31: Police arrested 453 motorcyclists on Muharram 9 and 10 in violation of pillion-riding ban which was imposed after the occurrence of suicide attacks in the country.

The City District Government Lahore’s sudden announcement to ban pillion riding amid security threats for 48 hours from 12am Monday last irked hundreds of motorcyclists and gave free hand to the police to exploit them.

Many people, who became the ban’s victim had to suffer a great deal of inconvenience at the hands of police, were unaware of an abrupt announcement and were trapped accidentally due to government’s inefficiency to convey the people timely about the ban.

Officials of police stations and Muhafiz Force in large numbers appeared on the roads on Sunday night and set up pickets in their respective jurisdiction a couple of hours before the implementation of the ban and started stopping pillion riders and took them into custody.

Both sides were seen exchanging arguments with each other in different parts of the city, but no one was spared.

Most of the people, including elders, had to reach their destination for some urgent commitments, but the policemen either minted money from them or arrested them.

It has become the general practice that the government always announces the ban in an unexpected way, but a majority of motorcyclists are unaware of it for lack of timely information.

Police officials say that motorcyclists cannot hold them responsible for inconvenience they suffer as the government always issues notification in a sudden move without giving the people suitable time to know about the ban.