LAYYAH, Feb 4: The district police claimed on Sunday to have foiled an attempt to grab an eight-kanal commercial tract by a 20-member gang, headed by the district nazim’s stepson.

According to the police, land owner Ashraf Mai, a widow, informed them that a gang had come to occupy her eight-kanal commercial plot (which has a market price of Rs15 million) near the Kamu Kamil level crossing.

A city police station team, headed by the SHO, and the Elite Force immediately reached the spot and arrested seven of the gangsters who were identified as Tajamal Husain, Nasir Husain, Naeemullah, Yousaf, Ghulam Shabbir, Bota and Azhar.

Among the gangsters was Waqas Haider, a stepson of district nazim Malik Ghulam Haider Thind, who misbehaved with the police party. The police gave a thrashing to Waqas and took the land grabbers to the police station where they registered a case.

Sources told Dawn that the complainant, later, withdrew the names of Waqas and his cousin Naushad on pressure.

According to information, a litigation is going on between Ashraf Mai and her close relative over the ownership of the land.