LAHORE, Sept 14: The Crimes Investigation Agency (CIA) claimed on Wednesday to have busted four gangs of hardened criminals, arresting their 47 members and recovering from them cash, vehicles, motorcycles, electronic appliances and illegal weapons.

Criminals have initially confessed to committing 193 incidents of murder, robbery with murder, police encounter, house and shop robberies, street crime and vehicle/bike snatching in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Pakpattan and Bahawalnagar districts.

They said they would commit robberies in shops and beauty parlours in police uniforms.

DIG (Investigation) Ali Aamir Malik, flanked by SSP (Investigation) Abdul Razzaque Cheema and CIA SP Muhammad Umer Virk, told reporters that among the 47 arrested criminals were eight proclaimed offenders and nine history-sheeters.

The DIG said that gangs of robbers led by Khurram Shahzad alias Badhu Shah, Waheed Butt alias Kala Butt, Iqbal Hasan alias Sohni and Imran Baig alias Pappu had shot dead a super store owner on resistance in Nishtar Colony, a Hakeem in Ichhra and a constable during a police encounter in Pakpattan.

He said the police recovered Rs3.26 million cash, a car, a coach, 10 motorcycles, home appliances, electronic appliances, police uniforms and illegal weapons, including Kalashnikovs, pistols, revolvers and bullets from them.

Mr Malik said that no arrest was made in the case of kidnapped US citizen Dr Warren Weinstein and only some suspects were interrogated.

He said police teams got some important lead in kidnappings of Dr Warren and Shahbaz Taseer.

He said the ransom factor might be behind the kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer, adding that police had no information about his location.

The DIG said investigators were still awaiting a fingerprints report.