TAXILA: Robbers deprived people of cash and valuables worth millions of rupees on Saturday.

In the first incident, three persons including the shop owner were injured when the robbers opened fire on them in the limits of Taxila police station.

Sources said that four armed men came to the oil shop of Ali Rehman on two motorcycles and made him and his two friends hostage.

As the robbers were fleecing with looted items, Ali Rehman tried to overpower them resultantly the armed robbers opened fire on them including his friends who came to rescue him. The injured were shifted to local hospital in critical condition.

Two armed bandits equipped with a pistol took customers and shop owner hostage at a gunpoint on HMC Road in the limits of Taxila Police station.

They searched the cash counter and customers and fled with cash and mobile phones worth Rs200,000. The CCTV footage was also provided to the police investigators.

Four masked men, equipped with different weapons, entered a pharmacy in the Lalarukh area in the limits of Wah Cantonment police station and took all the staff and customers hostage at gunpoint. They deprived customers of cash and mobile phones and took cash Rs200,000 from the cash counter and fled away while firing in the air. The CCTV footage was also provided to the police.

Two armed men entered the mobile phone shop of Mohammad Imran in Wah Model town area in the limits of Wah Saddar police station and held him hostage at gunpoint. They snatched cash worth Rs600,000 and two mobile phones and fled.

It was the third robbery incident at the same shop during the last six months. Police failed to provide safety and security to the traders’ community.

A delegation of local traders among them councilors and office bearers of the trader bodies called upon Sub Divisional Police officer DSP Mian Afzal Shah at his office and apprised him of the poor law and order situation in the city.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2023