PESHAWAR, May 6: The city police on Wednesday night arrested over a dozen 'anti-social elements' and allegedly subjected some of them to torture before setting them free.

Senior Superintendent of Police (operation) Abid Ali, who has taken over the charge recently, had formed four teams to carry out raids and arrest anti-social elements.

But before the SSP launched the crackdown, the station house officers of many areas picked up dozens of innocent persons, apparently to show efficiency to their new boss. Some of those detainees were booked under sections 107, 506 and 55/109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which is a bailable offence.

Such accused can also be freed by the SHO on personal bonds. Most of those were released without registering any FIRs. Three persons were arrested by the Chamkani police SHO and freed when the people of the area approached the senior superintendent of police.

"Yes, police arrested three persons because a brother of one the detainees is wanted in a case," SSP Ali told newsmen on Thursday. He admitted to having arrested 25 persons from Bhana Mari area, and claimed that they were found gambling. However, he added, all of them had been freed without registration of any FIR.

Sources said the targets were the gambling dens allegedly run by four influential people. However, none of the four were arrested. The SSP said the police had also recovered weapons from a house in Bhana Mari. The sources said that Station House Officer Aslam Nawaz of the Bhana Mari police station had also arrested about 20 'innocent' persons on unspecified charges.