RAWALPINDI, Sept 18:  Police on Sunday arrested the leader of a gang of robbers and his accomplice, who were released from Adiala Jail in June this year, and recovered huge amount of cash and vehicles from their possession.

“We are jubilant after re-capturing Zaheeruddin Babar alias Bishoo, because he was desperately wanted by the police,” Inspector Khan Shabbir who led the police team, told Dawn.

Police had been trying hard to re-capture the robber since his release from the jail on June 7.

Inspector Shabbir said Babar was arrested while planning to strike somewhere in the Ganjmandi area. Later, his accomplice Javaid Tanoli alias Bila was also arrested.

According to the police, Bishoo was the only one among the most wanted criminals who had been challaned in 71 cases of heinous crimes.

Babar, whose father used to be a blacksmith, entered the crime world by committing petty thefts and was later captured by police for his involvement in big theft cases.

At a young age, he worked at his father’s shop where he learnt the skill of making some instruments and then made a special gadget for breaking all types of locks, especially after watching an English film.

“After watching the English film, he had made the gadget for his own use and then started breaking houses and shops,” Mr Shabbir said. During imprisonment, he joined Misal Khan’s gang of robbers who convinced him that he could easily get a large sum of money in robberies rather than going for simple thefts. He formed his own gang of robbers after his guide Misal Khan was killed.

“Bishoo dacoit is fond of gambling so he wasted all the looted cash in gambling,” the investigating officer said.

“He has two little daughters who are staying with one of their relatives as their father has neither home nor wife.”