FAISALABAD, Nov 25: Panic gripped the residents of Noorpur, Nishatabd, Haiderabad, Jamil-abad, Ghaziabad, Ghausiaabad, Hajiabad, Ashrafabad and adjoining localities after mysterious attacks on women and girls by masked men here on Thursday.

Four private educational institutions, a state-run primary school and three seminaries remained closed on Thursday due to the fear of attacks. However, police claimed to have arrested the suspect, Qaisar Ali.

According to reports, masked men on bicycles attacked the women and girls with sharp weapons during the last two days in different hours. The attackers managed to escape after committing the crimes in which they inflicted injuries on arms and necks of six girls and a woman.

Announcements were made from loudspeakers of different mosques of the area cautioning the people not to allow their children to roam freely in streets, especially in the late hours and early morning. The parents kept their children in homes and did not send them to schools.

The victims, Safia, 40, Kishwar, 17, Naila, 9, and Mrs Shafi, 29, told this correspondent that the suspects, wearing dark colour clothes, appeared suddenly and inflicted wounds on them so deftly that they were felt after four to five minutes of his escape.

The attackers might be using laser weapons as the victims could not see any sharp weapon in their hand. According to area people, the victims were women which was a proof that the attackers wanted to create harassment among the females.

A shopkeeper, Iqbal, said the area people had tried their best to trace the attackers but failed as he attacked the girls when they were alone. When contacted, SHOs of Sargodha Road and Nishatabad police stations confirmed the incidents.