LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways Police retrieved 506 acres of railway land worth Rs11.39bn from the illegal occupants during 2025. The police registered 1,049 cases against the land mafia and arrested 1,099 suspects.

It was revealed in a meeting of the PR’s SPs heading the force in Lahore, Karachi, Sukkur, Multan, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Peshawar divisions. The meeting was presided over by PR Police Inspector General (IG) Rai Tahir here at the Central Police Office.

During the meeting, the divisional SPs briefed the IG about their performance related to crime, law and order situation, security of passengers, trains, stations, offices and registration of cases besides crackdown on the land mafia. They revealed that 3,681 cases were registered for various crimes whereas 4,197 suspects were arrested.

In the wake of the railway material theft, the police registered 493 cases and arrested 677 suspects besides recovering the material worth Rs9.4m from them. Sixty-eight cases were registered in the wake of smuggling of illegal arms. Seventy-two suspects were arrested with recovery of 1,979 bullets, one Kalashnikov, four rifles, 82 pistols, 89 magazines, four knives and one cutter from them. As many as 218 cases were registered regarding narcotics smuggling through trains. In this regard, 218 people were arrested with recovery of 1.470kg opium, 69kg charas, 3.33kg heroin, 408kg bhang, 2.615kg ice and 167 liquor bottles.

As many as 413 runaway boys and 245 girls were taken into custody and later handed over to their heirs. Similarly, the police also found goods worth Rs33.4m and handed over to passengers.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2026