TAXILA: Robbers were on a rampage in the city, depriving people of cash, gold ornaments, motorcycles and others valuables worth millions of rupees, sending panic among the masses.

Gangsters loot motorists, families, houses and passersby with impunity. Fear has gripped entire downtown areas of the city, where traumatised families have virtually confined themselves to their residences.

In Taxia, four armed men entered a business outlet owned by Malik Mehboob at Kohsar Colony and looted Rs 0.15 million in cash, 6 cellphones, computers and laptops by holding all the staff on gun point.

In same area, criminals looted Rs0.25 million in cash, a 12 bore repeater gun and other valuables from a petrol pump.

Two armed women took away Rs100,000 and 15 tola of gold from the house of Mohammad Shareef.

While in the same police station area, three armed men, equipped with pistol snatched a pick up from Wasiq Ali Khan and fled. A married woman was abducted.

Auto thieves picked up two cars from Toheedabad area.

Sources said that the illegal Afghan immigrants living in Katchi abadies were engaged in these activities’, while the police remained indifferent.

The local administration had announced to launch a crackdown on the illegal immigrates and repatriate them to their homeland but no practical step had been taken as yet.

Published in Dawn, September 20th , 2014