VEHARI, Jan 10: Police smashed a dacoits’ gang on Monday night and recovered five cars, motorcycles and weapons worth over Rs6 million from their possession. This was claimed by District Police Officer Muhammad Mukhtar Tikka while talking to reporters here on Tuesday. He said the Asif Pudhyar gang was active in various south Punjab areas, including Multan, Bahawalnagar, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Pakpattan and Lodhran.

He said the gangsters — M. Asif, Tariq Mehmood, Arshad alias Kala and Mohammad Saleem — were involved in over a dozen incidents of murder, kidnap, car and motorbike snatching. He said one of their accomplices was at large.

He said the gang snatched a car and killed its driver Ateequr Rehman on resistance in Thingi police area on Dec 19. In September last, the dacoits killed a motorist on resistance in Hasilpur area, he said and added that they hired a car from Shujabad in November, came to the house of landlord Syed Faizul Hasan Shah in Makhdoom Rasheed, looted Rs600,000 and killed him on resistance.

Mr Tikka said Multan Range DIG Malik Muhammad Iqbal had given a special task to DPOs, however, the Vehari police on a tip-off arrested the gangsters.