SIALKOT, Jan 9: The entire Sialkot district remained in the grip of heinous crimes during the year 2004. Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's local leader and MPA Arshad Mahmood Baggu claimed that the police miserably failed in controlling the rising trend of crimes in Sialkot.

Meanwhile, the Sialkot police could not provide comparative crime figures for the years 2003 and 2004 to reporters for the reasons best known to them. However, the police high-ups claimed that there was a 15 per cent reduction in crimes during the year 2004 as compared to the previous year in the Sialkot district.

As per the official statistics, around 232 people were murdered and 43 killed in road accidents in Sialkot during the period. In addition, the police registered about 10,908 cases of heinous crimes, including 437 of attempted murdered, 1,000 of quarrels, 93 of kidnapping, none of kidnap for ransom, 70 of dacoity, 700 of robbery and 216 of fatal road accidents.

As many as 52 cars and 247 motorcycles were either stolen or snatched in the Sialkot district during 2004. Police also instituted 121 cases of cattle theft, 600 of ordinary theft, 1,000 of possessing narcotics and 56 of gambling. Police also claimed to have arrested over 4,000 proclaimed offenders in the Sialkot district during the period.