ATTOCK, May 25: Attock Police and National Highway & Motorway Police (NHMP) have decided to launch a joint operation against a gang which had attempted to rob motorists on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1) near Pathargarh Village on Thursday.

Police sources informed Dawn on Saturday that the gang had fixed sharp steel blades on M-1 (Burhan section) on Thursday night, resulting in burst tyres of some vehicles.

As soon as the unaware drivers stopped, a number of armed people, who were hidden in the roadside bushes, suddenly appeared and attempted to steal from the motorists.

However, the NHMP’s patrolling team also arrived at the scene and the robbers resorted to firing before fleeing the area.

The patrolling officials also informed the higher authorities and the district police immediately.

District Police Officer (DPO) Abdul Kadir Qamar, along with other officials, reached the scene and alerted all patrolling teams.

A police party cleared the road of the sharp blades, and helped drivers replace burst tyres.

The incident has become a cause of concern for the Attock police and the NHMP, as it was a unique style of robbery.

When contacted, DPO Kadir admitted that the incident posed serious threats to journey on M-1.

In view of this, the district police and NHMP were making a joint strategy to eliminate such future attempts.

He said as the first measure, surveillance around M-1's Burhan section had been intensified, but the major hurdle was the lack of fences on both sides of M-1, which had either been stolen or damaged.

This allowed criminals to enter and escape the motorway with ease, he added.

“The matter concerning repair and installation of fences has been placed before the National Highway Authority (NHA), which is responsible for all maintenance work on M-1,” the DPO said.