January 14, 2008	Monday	Muharram 04, 1429

SAHIWAL, Jan 13: Valuables worth Rs1 million were looted and a man was injured in three robbery hits in Sahiwal late on Saturday night.

A gang of 20 dacoits stormed the house of Ghulam Ahmed in Chak 60/4R, locked the family in a room and fled on a truck with valuables worth Rs810,000.

In another incident, seven robbers deprived eight people of Rs125,000 after blocking a road near Chak 54/5-L. Meanwhile, the driver of a former bank official reached the place.

The robbers signalled driver Faryad Ali to stop, but he sped up the car. As a result, the robbers opened fire at him, injuring him and damaging the car.

However, Ali succeeded in taking the car to a safe place from where he was taken to the district hospital.

Separately, a motorcycle owned by Muhammad Asif was stolen.

DPO: Police claimed on Sunday to have arrested 266 proclaimed offenders involved in heinous crime and 1,205 proclaimed offenders involved in other crime.

Talking to journalists,

District Police Officer Javed Hussain Shah said police had also arrested 534 court absconders and seized 1,86 illegal weapons from various people.

He claimed that crime rate declined in the district in 2007 compared to 2006.

He said special security measures had been taken to maintain peace in Muharram.

COUPLE DIES ON ROAD: A couple died on Noorshah-Faisalabad Road late on Saturday after their motorcycle collided with a donkey cart.

Muhammad Amin and his wife Noor Jahan were going from Fatehpur to Adda Kauray Shah on a motorcycle to see their relatives.

They were injured when their motorcycle collided with a donkey cart and died on their way to the hospital.