GUJRAT, June 22: The Gujranwala Range has witnessed manifold increase in crime during the first five months of the current year compared to that in the corresponding period last year.

A spokesman of the DIG office claimed that the crime graph in the range had shown a considerable increase during the current year. According to police, around 20,536 cases had been registered in the six districts of the range this year against 15,585 cases instituted during the corresponding period in 2003.

Gujranwala police had instituted 1,687 more cases this year than the last year's figure, Sialkot (1,042), Gujrat (290), Mandi Bahauddin (365), Narowal (748) and Hafizabad 819 cases.

A total of 5,014 cases were registered in the range during May against 3,604 cases lodged in May last year. During the first five months of the current year, nearly 4,087 cases of murder or attempted murder were registered against 3,043 of last year.

Around 301 more in Gujranwala, 174 in Sialkot, 163 in Gujrat, 110 in Mandi Bahauddin, 68 in Narowal and 229 in Hafizabad. In May 2004, some 1,099 such cases were registered throughout the range compared to 772 of last year.

As many as 86 more cases were registered in Gujranwala, 78 in Sialkot, 28 each in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin, 24 in Narowal and 83 in Hafizabad this year. The spokesman said an alarming increase in dacoity, robbery and theft incidence had been reported this year throughout the range.

He said 2,631 such cases had been registered till May last year, but this year 3,852 cases had been instituted by various police stations, showing an increase of 1,221. The Gujranwala police had instituted 526 more cases, Sialkot (252), Gujrat (95), Mandi Bahauddin (94), Narowal (37) and Hafizabad 214 cases.

Around 856 such cases were registered in May this year against 582 of last year. The Gujranwala police had registered 139 more cases, Sialkot (41), Gujrat (26), Mandi Bahauddin (23) and Hafizabad (60).

In the first five months of the current year, a total of 322 incidents of vehicle snatching or lifting took place across the range with Gujranwala lodging 124 cases, Sialkot (109), Gujrat (38), Mandi Bahauddin (18), Narowal (20) and Hafizabad (13).

The spokesman quoted a meeting as informing that the police were taking interest only in recovering liquor and arresting drunkards instead of recovering hashish and heroin from peddlers. Besides, they were recovering only those kinds of illegal weapons whose numbers had been kept.

The DIG ordered the policemen that they should recover all kinds of arms, including kalashnikovs, hand grenades and other rifles. The Gujranwala and Gujrat police had cut a sorry figure during the first five months, especially in May, in the recovery of booty (plundered valuables).

According to the figures, the Gujranwala police had recovered 31 per cent of the plundered goods, Sialkot (59 per cent), Gujrat (50 per cent), Mandi Bahauddin (64 per cent), Narowal (68 per cent) and Hafizabad (57 per cent).

In May 2004, a total of 107 members of 27 gangs were arrested by the police, seven of those gangs in Gujranwala, 13 in Sialkot, one each in Gujrat and Hafizabad, and five in Narowal. Mandi Bahauddin police could not arrest even a single member of a gang.

Of the total 20,526 cases registered till May in the range, around 5,865 were still being investigated by police. Of those, 1,961 were in Gujranwala, 2,279 in Sialkot, 489 in Gujrat, 384 in Mandi Bahauddin, 221 in Narowal and 531 in Hafizabad.

No less than 89,566 cases were being heard by different courts (24,736 in Gujranwala, 16,363 in Sialkot, 25,842 in Gujrat, 10,005 in Mandi Bahauddin, 8,919 in Narowal and 3,775 in Hafizabad), the spokesman said.

The spokesman claimed that 4,908 proclaimed offenders of both A and B categories were still at large (1,594 in Gujranwala, 1,171 in Sialkot, 1,426 in Gujrat, 159 in Mandi Bahauddin, 296 in Narowal and 322 in Hafizabad).