August 19, 2008	Tuesday	Sha’aban 16, 1429

GUJAR KHAN, Aug 18: Four highwaymen looted Rs20 million from the car of a Kotli-based money changer near Mankiala railway crossing, police said on Monday. The Gujar Khan police claimed to have arrested two of the robbers on GT Road but their accomplices escaped along the booty towards Taxila. The highwaymen also took away two rifles of the security guards of the money changer.

Sikandar Hayat, the cashier of the money changer, told Dawn that he along with three security guards was taking the cash in a car from Rawalpindi to Kotli. “Upon reaching the Mankiala railway crossing our car slowed down as the road was unpaved. In the meantime, a white Liana car suddenly stopped in front of our vehicle.”

Four men armed with automatic weapons overpowered the security guards and took away two 44-bore rifles and a repeater shotgun from them, the cashier said, adding the bandits forced him to hand over the keys of the boot where the cash was kept.

He said within about five minutes the bandits looted the cash and sped away.

According to Syed Akbar Abbas, sub-divisional police officer Gujar Khan, after getting information about the incident the police of Jatli, Mandra and Gujar Khan as well as Rescue-15 were put on high alert.

The police spotted the bandits’ car on the GT Road heading towards Lahore.

They intercepted the car and arrested two persons, identified as Sahib Khan and Shah Wali, who tried to escape after abandoning the car.

A repeater shotgun snatched by the highwaymen from the security guards was also recovered from the car.

During preliminary investigations, the accused said the looted cash was taken away by their accomplices.