TOBA TEK SINGH: The motorway police arrested a three-member gang at the Samundry motorway rest area on Sunday, allegedly involved in thefts from vehicles parked in the rest areas of M-3.

According to a spokesperson for the motorway police, DSP Hameedullah Niazi spotted three people sitting in a car parked in the rest area of Samundri. When he questioned the riders, they attempted to flee, but the police chased and captured them.

The suspects were identified as Tayyab Raza, Muhammad Pervez and Gulfam. The police impounded the car and seized fake number plates, duplicate keys, lock opening instruments, stolen currency, and mobile phones from the gang.

They confessed to committing 18 thefts from the parked vehicles at rest areas.

He said after drivers parked vehicles and went into rest areas or kiosks, the gang used to park their car adjacent to targeted vehicle and after opening or breaking locks they would steal golden ornaments, cash, mobile phones and other valuables.

The arrested suspects included a truck driver who specialised in opening locks. The Samundri police are investigating the case further.

FIA: A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team in Faisalabad with a health department’s drug inspector arrested a medicine businessman for supplying prohibited medicines near GTS Chowk.

They recovered 11 types of prohibited medicines worth more than Rs4 million based on his indication. Further investigation into suspects Muneebul Haq’s activities was underway.

Also, the FIA arrested Wahab Rafiq, Ahsan Ali, and Qadeer Ahmad for illegal currency exchange and involvement in hawala hundi. Qadeer was also found involved in the preparation of fake travel documents, and fake visas of Portugal, Poland, and Ukraine were recovered from him.

CASE: The Nishatabad police in Faisalabad registered a case against a chemical fertilizer factory owner from the Faisalabad Small Industrial Estate for unsealing his warehouse and unlawfully selling fertilizer worth more than Rs6.8 million.

The complainant, Agriculture Department Deputy Director Khalid Mahmood, stated in the FIR that he had raided the factory of Mazhar Mahmood and found fake fertilizer produced there.

Samples of the fertilizer were sent to the principal of the Faisalabad Soil and Water Testing Research Laboratory, which declared it unfit for crop use. Based on this report, the complainant sealed the warehouse, from where the accused allegedly stole and sold fertilizer bags worth more than Rs6.8 million.

Police are conducting further investigations into the matter.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2024