NAROWAL: The Sialkot police have registered an FIR against 219 shopkeepers in a follow-up operation against illegal construction and encroachment.

Police personnel on duty with anti-encroachment teams are using bodycams. Authorities also arrested 39 shopkeepers for obstructing the operation.

District Sialkot ranks first across Punjab in the anti-encroachment drive with 692 FIRs registered in the crackdown.

A team comprising district police, traffic police, the elite force and reserve police is participating in the drive, while DSPs of five police circles in Sialkot are overseeing the efforts. More than 350 police officers and personnel are engaged in security duties across the district.

DPO Faisal Shahzad said that despite earlier action, some shopkeepers had re-established illegal encroachments, which led to FIRs against 219 shopkeepers. He added that police had also registered an FIR against 39 shopkeepers for resisting the anti-encroachment teams during the follow-up operation.

The traffic police confirmed that resistance was encountered during the latest phase of the drive.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Zulqarnain Langarial said a special team had been formed to clear encroachments from Sialkot city. He acknowledged that the district administration had faced resistance while implementing Punjab government directives and had to deploy police forces to enforce orders.

The anti-encroachment drive involves multiple departments, including the municipal committee, municipal corporation, Revenue Department, District Council, Rescue 1122, and Gepco.

Langarial confirmed that the follow-up efforts to remove encroachments would continue.

GANG BUSTED: Sialkot police claim to have busted an inter-district gang of robbers.

Sialkot District Police Officer Faisal Shahzad told Dawn the increasing number of robberies in police uniform had become a challenge for the department.

He said a police team traced the accused using human intelligence source and advanced technology and arrested them.

Those arrested were identified as ringleader Javed Akhtar, Mohammad Shakeel and Shakir Ali. He said Javed and Shakeel belonged to Vehari district and Shakir Ali to Gujranwala.

He said the accused used to rob citizens in police uniform and had confessed to dozens of robberies in Gujranwala, Narowal, Sheikhupura, Gujarat, Vehari and Sialkot.

The police recovered police uniforms, motorcycles, automatic weapons, mobile phones, Rs2.2 million in cash and animals from their possession.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2025