February 10, 2007	Saturday	Muharram 21, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

JHANG, Feb 9: Three drug peddlers, including an employee of the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, and his former colleague, were arrested with a huge quantity of narcotics near Jamia Chowk in Satellite Town here on Friday.

The arrests were made by Jhang Sadder police in connection with an ongoing campaign launched against drug-traffickers on the orders of the Jhang DPO.

Reports said that Nasir Abbas Gondal of Alnoor Colony, Gojra, who served the FC in Balochistan for eight years, had been given the boot for his alleged involvement in the drug business some six months back. Although he returned to his native town, he kept a close liaison with his former colleagues who were already involved in the monkey business.

On Thursday, Gondal received FC, Balochistan, employee lance naik Piyo Khail Afridi of Khyber Agency with a substantial quantity of smuggled narcotics at the house of Zafar Fatiana. From there they were on their way to Gojra by a car when a police party, led by Saddar SHO Mazhar Farooq Sadhan, intercepted them. During the search, the police recovered 6,110 grams of hashish and 2,022 grams of opium from the car.

During interrogation, accused Gondal admitted that Piyio Khel and Zafar used to smuggle the narcotics from the tribal area and Balochistan and then handed him over for further distribution to drug peddlers across the district.

Giving details of the campaign, DPO Amjad Saleemi told reporters that Mochiwala, Chiniot Saddar and Jhang Saddar police smashed four gangs of drug-traffickers.

He claimed that the police had arrested 13 drug pushers, including woman Ishrat Jehan of Gujjar Khan, and recovered from them heroin, opium and hashish worth over Rs1 million. He said all other arrested accused hailed from Balochistan, the NWFP and tribal area.

PO KILLED: A proclaimed offender was killed and another sustained serious injuries in two separate encounters with the police in Chiniot tehsil on Thursday night.

Bhowana police received information that notorious criminal Zafar alias Zafri, wanted in several cases of heinous crimes, was present in his house in Kot Nijabat village. A police party raided the place, but the accused opened fire on law enforcers. The police also returned the fire. Later, the shootout continued for around 15-minute that cost the PO his head. Police recovered a Kalashnikov lying beside the dead body.

While another encounter took place near Muradwala on Chiniot-Pindi Bhattian Road where four dacoits were busy looting trucks. A police patrol party rushed to the spot. On seeing police, the dacoits opened fire which was returned.

The encounter that lasted for some half an hour left dacoit Suba injured seriously. While his three accomplices managed to flee in the cover of darkness.