SHEIKHUPURA, Nov 16: As many as 24 nominated accused in the murder case of seven people at Guganawala village are still at large even after a lapse of about three months while Farooqabad Saddar police have taken into custody only six accused who are close relatives of the slain.

Reports said Khyzer Hayat Bhatti, Ghazanfar Bhatti, Nusher Bhatti, Nawaz Bhatti, Ilyas Bhatti, Jehangir Bhatti and Tahir Bhatti had been gunned down over an old enmity about three months ago. Their heirs had lodged a complaint with the chief minister about the police inability to arrest the accused.

The chief minister had visited the area on Nov 3 and expressed annoyance over the police performance. DPO Dr Shafiq, who has recently been transferred, had promised to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

The police had registered a case against 30 people and arrested six nominated accused ahead of the Nov 11 visit of President Musharraf and Pervaiz Elahi on the eve of the inauguration of Sheikhupura-Faisalabad Road.

The arrested have been identified as Arshad Bhatti, Muzaffar, son of Raja, Ibrar, Ashraf, Farooq, Shaukat and Arshad, son of Anwar Bhatti.

A police spokesman told this correspondent that investigation would be completed after the arrest of all the 30 accused.

DEPRIVED: A factory cashier was deprived of Rs0.6 million in cash by two unidentified motorcyclists near Nabipura bus stop on Lahore-Sargodha Road on Thursday.

Reports said that Rana Irfan of Spin Cot Textile Mills, near Machike, drew the amount from Al-Falah Bank and was on his way to factory by a pickup. Near Nabipura bus stop, two robbers riding on their bike intercepted him and snatched from him the cash.

Sheikhupura Sadar police are looking into the matter.