LAKKI MARWAT, July 3: Police on Tuesday arrested an escaped Bannu prisoner and his protector during a raid in Abakhel village here.

Police said acting on a tip-off, a team led by SHO Lakki Marwat Asad Ali Shah raided a house in Abakhel village and arrested Mukamil Shah, who escaped from Bannu Jail when militants attacked it in April this year.

They said the owner of the house, Ihsanullah, was also taken into custody.

Police said they booked Ihsanullah for harbouring an outlaw.

Also in the day, police arrested three proclaimed offenders, including Sharifullah, Hussain Nawaz and Yaseen Wahab, during raids in Paharkhel Thall and Michenkhel areas.

Meanwhile, district khateeb Maulana Abdul Wahab on Tuesday said efforts on part of religious scholars had helped reduce polio refusal cases in the district and remove misconceptions about the vaccine.

He was speaking at a news briefing arranged by National Research and Development Foundation in the district health office on Tuesday.

Maulana Abdul Wahab said all segments of the society should put in efforts to eradicate polio completely.

Appreciating the role of NRDF in making anti-polio drives a success and persuading people, especially parents, for immunisation of children, he said religious scholars would continue supporting the district health department and other stakeholders  to successfully achieve the goal of immunising targeted population against the crippling disease.

He said oral polio vaccine was completely safe, so people, especially parents, should show no reluctance in their children’s immunisation.

EDO (health) Dr Abdul Ghaffar Wazir, DDO Dr Abdul Rehman, NRDF coordinator Shahid Anwar, WHO tehsil supervisor Javed Iqbal and member of District Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Hafiz Minhajuddin were also in attendance.