LAHORE, July 20: Traders lodged a strong protest against the Mochi Gate police after six armed men looted cash and cell phones worth hundreds of thousands from three shops of a commercial plaza in Shahalam Market on Wednesday.

Six robbers barged in the Dubai Centre and looted Rs50,000 in cash and a cell phone from Kashif who owned a shop at the first floor. Later, the armed men looted Rs85,000 in cash and a cell phone from a cosmetics shop and Rs50,000 and a cell phone from the shop of Zubair.

Following the dacoity incident, dozens of traders led by Shahalam Market secretary-general Akmal Butt took to the street and chanted slogans against the police for their failure to check the rising incidents of robbery.

They alleged that dacoity incidents had been increasing at commercial places due to lack of police patrol.

Mochi Gate police have registered a case and started investigation.

factory fire: Articles, raw materials and machinery worth Rs5 million were reduced to ashes when a man along with his accomplices allegedly set ablaze on Wednesday his elder brother's shoe manufacturing factory near Farkhabad Ghatti in Shahdara over a domestic dispute.

Factory owner Muhammad Yousaf, of Sabzazar, told Dawn his brother Ashraf, alias Arshad, and his five accomplices entered the premises by scaling the boundary wall at around 6am and held the watchman at gunpoint.

He said the suspects forced his 15 employees to come leave the unit, then sprinkled petrol on goods and set them ablaze.

Yousaf said he reached the scene after 20 minutes on an emergency call, but the fire had engulfed his entire unit. The Rescue-1122 and City Fire Brigade firefighters extinguished the fire.

Yousaf said the suspects also resorted to aerial firing before fleeing. He said he had lodged a complaint with the police for registration of a case.

The Shahdara police said they would take action in the light of application submitted by the complainant.

In another incident, a fire broke out in the spinning unit of Sheikh Khaliq near Shabab Studio on Multan Road, burning down valuables worth Rs300,000.

In the third incident, a fire erupted in the garments factory of Yasir Ameen near Rohi Drain on Ferozepur Road, burning down valuables worth Rs10,000. The Rescue 1122 fire-fighters controlled the blazes.