FAISALABAD, Jan 20: Police claimed to have smashed 71 gangs, arrested 3,310 hardened criminals, including 1,352 proclaimed offenders, in a month-long campaign launched in the district. District Police Officer Amin Wains told journalists here on Friday that special police parties had been constituted to arrest the proclaimed offenders and court absconders on the IGP’s instructions.

He said police have arrested 1,352 proclaimed offenders and 1958 hardened criminals involved in thefts, dacoities, highway robberies, murders and vehicle snatching.

He claimed that the police smashed 71 gangs and arrested 265 gangsters who were wanted to police in 604 cases of dacoities and robberies. Police recovered valuables worth Rs37.9 million from the arrested outlaws and hand over them to their owners.

He said during the campaign, police also arrested 1,614 people for keeping illicit weapons from various parts of the urban and rural areas of the district. Police recovered four Kalashnikovs, two hand-grenades, 104 rifles, 327 guns, 163 carbines, 982 revolvers and hundreds of rounds of bullets.

He said instructions had been given to patrol teams and picket staff on duty to minutely check the suspected vehicles during exit and entry of the city routes.