Police arrest tankers’ hijackers

Published March 2, 2006

TOBA TEK SINGH, March 1: The district police have dramatically arrested from Okara six of the dacoits, who had driven away with two oil-tankers laden with thousands of litres of petrol worth Rs6 million.

DPO Akhtar Laleka told journalists at a press conference that some dacoits boarded an oil tanker (2087-C-Karachi) in Jhang and accelerated towards Toba Tek Singh. Near Chak 388-JB in the latter district, they threw driver Allah Ditta out of the tanker and sped away. The gangsters, he said, sold petrol in Pakpattan and took the vehicle to Bahwalnagar.

A few days later, the DPO said, the same gang hijacked another tanker (4992-FDZ) from Jhang and threw driver Nazir near the same village where they had dragged out the driver of the previous vehicle.

He said the second tanker had satellite tracker due to which it was traced in Okara and the police recovered it from a deserted place. After examination, the police learnt that the petrol was sold to a pump nearby from where they got clue to the culprits and found six of them.

He said Nadeem, Abid, Fayyaz, Shabab and Aftab were arrested from a village in Renala Khurd. The police were raiding for the arrest of their accomplices.

On the pointation of the arrested men, the police recovered the other oil tanker from Bahawalnagar.

The DPO claimed that arrest of the inter-district oil tanker hijackers was a moment of relief for the police as well as the traders.