GUJRANWALA, July 18: The Aroop Town police unearthed an illegal gas cylinder manufacturing factory and recovered some 500 cylinders in Ghulshan Colony here on Tuesday.

Two industrialists set up a factory a few years ago where they used substandard material for making LPG cylinders. They used to supply these cylinders to Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi.

Following complaints of cylinder blasts and information that factory owners had no license for manufacturing the cylinders, a police party conducted a raid and recovered 500 cylinders from the factory.

Factory owners Khalid Mahmood and Sadiq managed to escape.

POs ARRESTED: The range police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested 42 proclaimed offenders and 39 court fugitives during a general holdup within five hours and recovered a huge quantity of illegal arms and narcotics from their possession.

In a briefing, DIG Malik Mohammad Iqbal claimed 12 rifles, 59 pistols, nine revolvers, 17 guns, four carbines and 635 rounds besides 2.84kg charas and 85g opium and four stolen motorcycles were recovered from them.

He said 72 motorcycles, a car and five wagons were taken into possession under Section 550 for investigation.

He said the general hold-up would continue.

Meanwhile, DPO Mian Mohammad Asif assured the business community that closed-circuit televisions would be installed at important chowks and bazaars to check the crime.