LAHORE: Six armed men stole two trucks of Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) from its mini workshop located in Gowala Colony in the Harbanspura police precincts on Sunday.
Harbanspura police has claimed to have recovered one of the two stolen trucks and arrested a truck lifter from Pindi Bhatian later on.
Armed men, equipped with sophisticated weapons, barged in the office of Aziz Bhatti Town Administration in Gowala Colony where WASA had also set-up its mini workshop and 40 to 50 trucks could be found parked in the said place. Men after forcing their way in snatched valuables including five mobile phones and Rs 19,000 as cash from WASA officials on gun point. Later, the men locked WASA officials in a room and managed to escape with two trucks plated with registration number WB-2 and P-21.
Harbanspura Police radioed information about the trucks and have also registered a case (No 1467/10) under section 395 of Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Sanitary Supervisor Muhammad Tanveer and have started an investigating.
Police sources claimed that police have recovered one truck which was found parked along the road near Ferozewala interchange. Harbanspura Police Station Station House Officer Idrees Qureshi claimed that they had also arrested one of the men, namely Imran. He said that Imran was in police custody and has confessed to his crime, while police will soon arrest the remaining five men as well.
Police sources said Lahore Police high-ups suspect terrorist involvement in the incident as they might use the stolen truck for terrorist activities. They said that police high-ups have forwarded directions to all station house officers and mobile squad officials to keep a vigilant eye on suspicious elements and to recover the trucks as soon as possible.
They added that different divisions of the Lahore Police have launched search operations in their respective areas and the City Division of Lahore Police especially launched a massive crackdown in Shahdara and Sheikhupura Factory area in search of the WASA truck.
