FAISALABAD, Nov 25: Nine criminals escaped from police custody while being taken to Sargodha on Friday. Reports said a Sargodha police team visited Faisalabad and received six prisoners from the Central Jail and five from the District Jail to produce them before Sargodha courts.

When the vehicle carrying these criminals reached near Dangero Pull on the Faisalabad-Sargodha Road, the policemen stopped it reportedly to change its oil.

Nine of the prisoners in fetters escaped from the scene when the police personnel allowed them to take tea from a nearby hotel.

On information, police highups rushed to the spot and started combing the area which was going on till the filing of this report in the evening.

Police sources said the fleeing prisoners were involved in cases of murder, dacoity and other heinous crime. Five of them were identified as Akbar, Zafar Hayat, Sarfraz, Nadeem and Ali Sher.

On the orders of the Faisalabad range DIG, head-constable Nawaz and driver Altaf have been taken into custody.

Meanwhile, inspector-general of Punjab police Ziaul Hasan has suspended from service Sargodha headquarters DSP Khalid Pervaiz, reserve inspector Mohammad Aslam and line officer Mazhar Iqbal for deliction of duty.

SP headquarters Riaz Maikan has been chargesheeted and an explanation sought from district police officer Naeem Khan in this regard.

NAZIM: The city district government will impose no new tax on the local industrialists and traders.

The assurance was given by city district nazim Rana Zahid Tauseef while speaking to members of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Thursday.

The nazim said all available resources would be utilized to provide a conducive atmosphere to the trade and industry.

He said the construction of roads and provision of potable water and sewerage would be ensured in the industrial areas in the light of the suggestions and recommendations of trade bodies.

He said a master plan would be chalked out with the consultation of chamber members and other associations for the beautification and uplift of the city. Electricity poles erected in the middle of roads would be removed, he said.

The nazim said big hoardings would also be removed from all commercial and residential areas, and a new system would be introduced to reinstall the same to avoid accidents.

Lyallpur Town Nazim Rana Zahid Mahmood said the operation against encroachers in all eight bazaars, commercial centres and on major roads was being launched successfully under the city beautification plan.

Jinnah Town Nazim Shahzad Malik said an action plan was being given final touches to ban entry of donkey-carts to the city areas.

Earlier, FCCI president Mohammad Haneef highlighted the problems being faced by the industrialists, and demanded city district and town nazims to play their role for the provision of better infrastructure to industrialists.

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