Police have booked as many as 200 people under theft charges while the accused claim that they had just jumped over the iron fences of the Rapid Bus Transit System to get to the other side of the road.
Police have registered first information reports (FIR) against the people under sections 379 and 511, which deal with theft.
According to details, people are facing difficulties as no gates have been installed to cross the track, forcing them to climb the iron fences to get to the other side.
Several police stations, including Model Town Naseerabad, Nishter, Factory Area, Mozang, Shahdara and Shafiqabad, have arrested as many as 200 people in this regard.
One of the victims, Yousuf said he was crossing the road when police arrested him and registered an FIR saying that he was stealing the iron rods from the bus track. He said that there was no outlet to cross the track, adding that he was a poor man and he could not afford to pay Rs 6,000 for a bail.
“We have not committed a sin by climbing the fence. If we have done it by mistake the police should warn us, not arrest us,” he told Pakistan Today.
Adnan, brother of an arrested man, said, “Police do not arrest the real culprits. They only arrest poor people like us so they can fleece us easily. The Punjab government wants to recover its losses by swindling poor people.”
The police said that they have not arrested a single innocent passerby, adding that they had received information that some people were stealing the iron fences. Police said they raided and arrested the men red-handed and registered the FIR under Sections 379 and 511.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Deputy Inspector General Rai Tahir Hussain said, “The government has ordered us to take stern action against people climbing iron fences. It is a mega project and we are taking measures to protect it from both trespassers and thieves. We are trying to educate people to cross the track through a proper way.”
He also said that a few days ago they had arrested several thieves who were stealing the iron fences.
