LAHORE, April 5: Robbers took away gold and jewellry worth Rs10 million from three shops in Mustafabad here on Wednesday. Proprietors of Basharat, Maqsood and Bilal jewellers claimed that three robbers carrying handguns entered the three shops while their fourth accomplice stood guard outside.

The accused collected gold, jewellry and cash from the shops within a couple of minutes and made off with the loot, they said, adding the police only mentioned Rs7.7 million in valuables while registering a case.

Traders of the area also burnt tyres on the main road to protest against the incident and failure of the police to provide them protection.

Taking a notice of the absence of patrolling police from the scene, city police chief additional IG Khwaja Khalid Farooq has directed SSP (operations) Amir Zulfikar Khan to point out the delinquent officials for action against them.

He also formed two investigation teams under the CIA SP and the Cantonment division investigation SP for the arrest of the accused at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Organized Crime City Division police claimed to have smashed an inter-district gang of car snatchers and arrested five of its members.

They were Nadeem Shahid alias Mian Shahid, Dr Naeem, Arshad, Mobashar Warraich and Tanveer Khan. Two luxury vehicles and illegal weapons were also recovered from the accused who had confessed to their involvement in 11 car jacking incidents.

The accused hired cars along with drivers and after intoxicating them shifted the vehicles to Mardan through motorway.

DIG (investigation) Iqbal Khan has announced appreciation certificates and cash prizes for police raiding team headed by DSP Akhtar Ali Khan.

Police also claimed to have busted Mani and Wattoo gangs of robbers active in the Sattokatla and Johar Town areas.

The police said that the Sattokatla SHO caught Mani gang’s leader Abdur Rahman while he was selling jewellry and prize bonds.

The Kot Lakhpat police took into custody Wattoo gang’s ringleader Hameed and two accomplices — Shabbir and Zaman — and recovered five motorcycles, 10 cell phones, gold jewellry and illegal weapons.