ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: The capital police busted a gang of robbers, involved in over 30 robberies, including four in the capital, but as usual the ring leader managed to escape, police said on Wednesday.

According to a press statement the arrest was made on Tuesday, but the area of arrest statement contradicted the FIR.

The FIR stated that the arrest was made from G-9 Markaz, where the robbers were assembling but the press release claimed “During various raids, they succeeded to arrest five criminals.”

During the raid the police arrested five persons and recovered 30-bore pistol from each of them.

The press release further stated that leader of the gang ‘Ishaq’ managed to escape from the scene.

The Margalla police said that robbers looted valuables, including cash and gold ornaments worth millions of rupees from the houses of deputy director Intelligence Bureau and interior minister’s relatives in I-8 and F-8.

During interrogation the alleged culprits confessed to committing 18 robberies in Karachi, eight in Lahore and four in Islamabad, including two in I-8, one in F-8/4.

On the other hand, sources in the police said that Ishaq was already in police custody since August 29.

He along with a woman and a child was arrested from a guest house at F-7.

On that day, the capital police was on red-alert and searching for militants after sealing the high security zone on a tip off that an explosion leaded vehicle entered the capital.

On their failure to trace the vehicle, the capital police combed all the guest houses in the area, which led in the arrest of Ishaq along with the girl and a child.

The police also seized a car from him and recovered a rifle, two pistols and two bags of explosives along with a handsome amount of foreign currency, the sources said, adding, that later the couple and the child were handed over to Margalla police, as Ishaq was identified as a robber wanted by Margalla police, in connection with a robbery in F-8.

Since he remained in police custody and in response of information given by him, the police arrested his other accomplices, during different raids from outside the capital, the police sources said, adding, that besides, the police also recovered gold ornaments weighing 10 tolas which sold to a goldsmith by the girl, on his information and the money that he got against it.

Besides the cash, the information from Ishaq helped the police in their recoveries, therefore Ishaq and the girl gained their freedom.

The police compromised with him as the interior minister was pressurising the investigators for the recovery of the cash and valuables, including gold ornaments robbed from his relatives’ house, they added.

On Tuesday, the police made the arrest of five accomplices while trying to trace Ishaq, the girl and the child as their whereabouts are not known.

The police said that the five accomplices were produced in the court, from where they were given in physical remand for further interrogation.