76 arrested in crackdown on drug peddlers

LAHORE:Lahore police claimed to have arrested 76 criminals and registered 80 cases against them in a grand crackdown on drug peddlers and addicts in different areas of the City.

Police registered 10 FIRs against drug pushers in the City division, five in Cantt, 14 in Civil Lines, 13 in Iqbal Town and 33 in Model Town division police.

Capitol City Police Officer Lahore Additional IG Ghulam Mahmood Dogar has said that intelligence-based crackdown on drug peddlers and suppliers was in process on a regular basis to protect citizens particularly youths from the anti-peace elements.

Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said the intelligence-based action was decided to make Lahore a 'drug-free city' in collaboration and consultation of Anti Narcotics Force, district government and other related departments.

Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said the only solution to free Lahore from narcotics was to cut the supply line of drugs, besides strict action again main drug dealers and suppliers. He directed police officers to conduct strict monitoring as well as surveillance and effective patrolling around the colleges and universities to arrest the drug peddlers involved in selling narcotics to the students. Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said gambling dens were the main cause of underworld crimes in the City which should be uprooted at any cost. According to a spokesman for Lahore Police, as many as 2,396 drug peddlers were arrested and cases against them registered during the current year in different police stations of the City.

Police seized 972 kilogram chars, more than 35 kg heroin, 13 kg opium, more than one kilogram ICE and 28,618 bottles of liquor from the accused criminals.

fire: A fire erupted at a chemical factory in Sundar Industrial Estate which engulfed the entire factory premises on Friday.

During the fire explosion of two boilers in the factory aggravated the fire situation. It took Rescue 1122 at least five hours to control the fire broke out in the factory where there was chemical material, a highly inflammable material, used to prepare chemical printing and painting. As the fire erupted, there were a dozen people inside the factory premises, they ran outside the premises to save their lives.

In a short span of time, the factory was in control of huge flames and thick smoke. The clouds of smoke and fire could be seen from a distance. The rescuers launched rescue operation with the help of 12 emergency vehicles and 35 firefighters. Rescuers were making efforts to contain the fire when a boiler inside the factory exploded with a huge blast which aggravated the fire situation. After sometime, another boiler exploded with a huge blast. These explosions left a wave of fear among the rescuers as well the surrounding factory workers and owners. They feared there were more boilers inside the factory that could explode and cause more harm and fire. They feared the fire could spread to the nearby factories also that had also inflammable material in it. When the fire could not be controlled, fire snorkel, more firefighting vehicles and fire fighters were called in.