LAHORE, Aug 11: Iqbal Town division police claimed on Thursday to have busted four gangs of criminals and arrested their 19 members besides recovering from them four vehicles, six auto-rickshaws, 10 motorcycles, illegal weapons and other looted valuables, including 15 cell phones.

The police also arrested the prime suspect of a torture-cum-murder case of a 14-year-old boy.

DIG (Operations) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, flanked by Iqbal Town SP (Operations) Muntazir Mehdi, told reporters the Nawankot and Gulshan-i-Iqbal police arrested 19 members of three gangs of thieves involved in car, motorcycle and rickshaw thefts and the fourth gang of robbers involved in the street crime.

The DIG said the Iqbal Town police arrested prime suspect Khurram Masih involved in the brutal murder of his employee, Bodi, a couple of days ago.

He said Khurram's father, two brothers and brother-in-law were already in police custody.

Mr Dogar said that officers of the Lahore police had attended the Iftar party of a US official in their personal capacity. He said the officers were already in touch with the US officials for security reasons.

AXED TO DEATH: A mentally sick youth allegedly axed his 75-year-old father to death near Umer Chowk in Green Town on Thursday.

Police said Ayub attacked his father Wali Muhammad, a retired Wapda employee, during asleep.

The family told the police that Ayub in a state of fits had attacked the family members a few times in the past.

The suspect was handed over to the police.