PESHAWAR, Sept 5: The city police have arrested 16 persons under the Customs Act and seized thousands of yards of cloth and impounded their vehicles in recent weeks, official sources told Dawn here on Sunday.

The provincial police officer had issued an order on July 27 to the police force, asking them not to check any vehicle for smuggling of goods to down country. He had asked the police to concentrate on maintaining law and order.

But police, despite the IGP orders, arrested 16 persons, and seized thousands of yards of cloth and impounded five vehicles, said the sources. When the Central Board of Revenue abolished the customs checkpoints throughout the country, the police in Peshawar started establishing their own posts, mainly on the roads leading to the city from tribal areas, sources claimed.

According to these sources, a few days ago, Gulbahar police arrested Gul Khan son of Waqif Khan, a resident of Mashu Gagar village and seized 7,130 yards of cloth and impounded his vehicle No Peshawar-H 6616.

East Cantt police station arrested eight persons under the Customs Act and seized 6,560 yards of cloth and impounded three vehicles, which were used for smuggling. The police arrested Awal Khan, Ayub, Sher Zameen, Aadil, Mir Hamza, Hijrat Khan, Hazrat Khan and Gul Nabi and impounded vehicles Nos Rawalpindi-J 8417, LOD-6837 and Peshawar-H 8912.

The Chamkani police also arrested two persons. Hussain Gul and Abdus Sattar, on the same charges, seized a passenger bus No IDT 3702. The police seized 3,755 yards of cloth, 239 suit peaces, 288 perfume bottles, 70 vehicle horns and 35 auto spare parts.

Pishtakhara police arrested five persons from different passenger buses who were carrying cloth from tribal area to the city.