LANDI KOTAL, March 24: Political authorities on Tuesday arrested seven proclaimed offenders while they were trying to cross the border at Torkham. Bakhtiar Khan, the man in charge at the border, said they had received prior information about the movement of the outlaws. Two of the detainees are Afghans and the rest belonged to the NWFP, he added.

At around 1.30pm, the seven wanted men were spotted near the offices of the political authorities, said Bismillah, an official, adding they were immediately overpowered by the Khasadars and handed over to the police.

They were identified as Gulab, a resident of Tagao in Afghanistan, Samiullah (Jalalabad), Farhad Hussain, Masood, Wasifullah, Shahid Ali and Mohammad Essa. The seven, the official said, were wanted to the Charsadda and Shabqadar police in a number of heinous crimes like murder, robbery, kidnapping and car snatching.

Later, they were shifted to the police stations concerned. He said they were part of a gang of notorious criminals operating in the settled districts of the NWFP.