GUJRANWALA, Jan 9: The main accused involved in the smuggling of 6,000 kilograms of poppy from Afghanistan was arrested by the customs anti-smuggling squad here on Thursday.
Khadim Hussain Mehr had managed to escape when the customs squad raided a truck stand and seized poppy from the possession of three drug-traffickers some two days ago. Acting on a tip-off on Thursday that the accused was present in Ghakkhar town, the customs team conducted a raid and arrested the main accused, Khadim. The squad also got his physical remand for five days from a local court.
The customs anti-smuggling squad had arrested two accused who made a clean breast during an interrogation that they smuggled poppy from Afghanistan for its onward supply to various cities in the Punjab.
Incentives: Connections of all the closed furnaces will be restored if their owners pay 25 per cent outstanding dues while the remaining amount will be recovered in 12 equal instalments.
This was offered by Wapda Chairman Lt-Gen Zulfikar Ali Khan (retired) while speaking at an open kutchery at the Gepco regional headquarters.
He said the Wapda was providing better facilities to its consumers, but they were not cooperating with the authority in terms of clearance of their outstanding dues. Furnace owners of Gujranwala alone were the defaulters of Rs1.25 million, he said.
There was no ban on tubewell connections for agricultural purposes and instead its quota had been increased from 2,400 connections to 3,000 connections per annum, he said.
A proposal for industrialists was under consideration according to which more power rates would be charged between 5pm and 10pm and less rates between 10pm and 6am, he said.
Gepco chief executive Brig Saifullah Khalid, Human resources and administrative director Col Ghazanfar Ali Khan, chief engineer Nazir Ali Khan, superintending engineers and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.
ACQUITTED: The local Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 on Thursday acquitted 14 accused involved in a mosque attack and injuring some faithful.
According to the prosecution, accused including Maulvi Muhammad Yaqoob, Master Sarwar, Nazir Ahmed, Muhammad Shabbir, Irfan, Jamil and Safdar had injured some faithful in Siddique Colony mosque on Jan 11 last year. However, the prosecution could not prove the charges against the accused.
ARMS RECOVERED: The district police claim to have registered 170 cases of illegal arms and recovered a huge quantity of arms from criminals during the month of December last.
DPO Saud Aziz said here on Thursday that police recovered three Kalashnikovs, nine rifles, 20 guns of 12 bore, 24 revolvers, 97 pistols, six carbines and 1,569 cartridges and looted goods worth Rs3.6 million from them. He said police also seized six kilogram hashish and 715 grams heroin from their custody.
The DPO said police also arrested 120 proclaimed offenders and 92 court fugitives during the period.
Meanwhile, the traffic police issued 11,901 challan tickets to vehicle owners on the charge of violating traffic rules during the same period.
Traffic DSP Najeeb Akram said that 2,087 wagons, 3,423 rickshaws, 964 pick-ups, 90 flying coaches, 1,186 buses, 156 tractor-trollies, 2,841 motorcycles, 137 cars and 20 Pajeros were issued challan tickets. Police also impounded 2,129 vehicles for violating traffic rules, he added.
KILLED: A bus crew was killed on Thursday in a road accident on the GT Road near Kamoki.
The speeding bus going to Lahore from Gujranwala collided headon with a wagon as a result of which bus driver Akram died instantly, while some passengers sustained minor injuries. They were rushed to a local civil hospital.