SHEIKHUPURA, July 14: B-division police have arrested three accused out of six involved in the 2004 bank robbery.

This was said by District Police Officer (DPO) Azeem Iqbal at a press conference here on Monday.

He said on Feb 4, 2004, Saghir, Shaukat, Shabbir, Shamsher, Hayat and their accomplice had stormed into the Sheikhupura branch of the Punjab Cooperative Bank after unlocking its main gate. The intruders overpowered two night-duty security guards and strangled one of them namely Matin, the DPO said.

Later, the dacoits cut the strong room and lockers with an electric cutter, collected gold ornaments weighing 65kg and took away the second guard, Adam Khan, with them. Adam Khan’s body was recovered from QB Link Canal near Farooqabad after two days, he said.

He said the arrested accused -- Shaukat, Saghir and Hayat -- confessed that they along with their accomplices sold gold ornaments in the market.

The DPO said they had purchased properties in different parts of the district. “Police are taking steps to arrest the remaining other accused.”

CASE REGISTERED: Muridke Sadar police on Monday registered a case against 11 ‘extortionists’, six of them unidentified, for their alleged involvement in the killing of five people at Hadoke.

Reports said two groups, led by Asad Qasai and Ijaz alias Jagga, were running an illegal wagon stand on GT Road and used to collect adda fee from van and rickshaw drivers.

Some days back both the groups developed a dispute over the collection of adda fee. Later they exchanged harsh words and opened fire as a result Asgher Butt, Irshad Warraich, Mujibur Rehman and Waqas from both sides were killed on the spot while Naveed succumbed to his injuries in Mayo Hospital on Monday.

The injured -- Ahmad Raza, Ijaz alias Jagge, and a passer-by woman, Hafizan Bibi -- were taken to Muridke and Mayo hospitals, Lahore.

Meanwhile, citizens have condemned the incident and held traffic police responsible for it. They have urged the IG police to take action against such illegal stands.