NAROWAL:In a crackdown on beggars, Sialkot police claimed to have arrested 84 suspects, including 26 women, besides booking 210 others for drug sales.

Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Shahzad told Dawn on Friday that in the crackdown against beggary, the police have arrested 84 suspects in Sambrial, Daska, Pasrur and Sialkot Tehsil, including 26 women and 58 men.

Similarly, in an operation against narcotics, five police circles -- Sialkot city, Sadder, Sambrial, Daska and Pasrur circles,led by a deputy superintendent of police, targeted drug dealers, using human intelligence sources and modern technology.

He said that in February, police arrested 210 drug dealers and registered FIRs against them.

Police recovered 147kg hashish, 12kg heroin, 1,200 grams ‘ice’ and 1,337 liters of liquor during different raids, he said.

The DPO said 186 illegal pistols, 1 Kalashnikov, 27 automatic rifles and 797 bullets were also recovered fromsuspects during snap checking in the district.

He said that during the snap-checking, the police also arrested the 439 Category A and 551 Category B suspects.

The DPO said police Investigation and raiding teams arrested 58 suspects of 19 criminal gangs. He said the arrested suspects were wanted in murder, robbery, theft and other cases.

He said the police recovered 104 stolen and snatched smartphones through e-gadgets and returned them to their owners.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025