MULTAN, Feb 28: The police claimed to having arrested 17 members of five inter-provincial gangs of bandits, including the one which had been looting medicine companies.

DPO Sikander Hayat told reporters here on Monday that the arrested criminals were members of the Ajab Khan gang, the Yousafa gang, the Sheeda Talli gang, the Aziza gang and the Fayyaza gang.

He said that Abdullah Khan alias Ajab Khan and the members of his gang had been looting medicine distribution companies. He said during the last six months the gang had looted life saving drugs worth Rs40 million in four different strikes in Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad and Abbottabad.

The DPO said the arrested six members of the gang had also confessed to have looted the goods vehicles transporting yarn and cloths. The police recovered looted medicines worth Rs15 million from the possession of this gang.

Besides ring leader Ajab Khan, the other arrested members of the gang are: Iftikhar, Kareem Khan, Muntazir Shah, Qasim Khan and Gulbar. The DPO said the other gangs were said to be involved in the theft and snatching of vehicles in Multan, Khanewal, Vehari, Bahawalpur, Sheikhupura and Lahore districts.