LAHORE – DIG (Operations) Rai Muhammad Tahir on Friday directed the City Police to beef up security for the VIPs in the provincial capital, as well as intensify armed patrolling in important and sensitive areas.
According to a police spokesperson, the operations police chief ordered all the divisional SPs to put into practice a comprehensive security plan following the intelligence reports, suggesting possible terror attacks targeting top political leaders in the province.
Reportedly, the Punjab Home Department has received credible threat-alerts from leading intelligence agencies in which the provincial government had been advised to adopt extraordinary security measures because the militants were planning to target senior PML-N leaders.
Police sources said that Rai Muhammad Tahir presided over a high-level meeting at his office the other day, and directed the officers to set up surprise and mobile pickets across the City for check the movement of miscreants. The police have also deployed additional police force for the security of senior PML-N leaders.  The police have been directed to continue search operations, particularly during the night hours, in the specific and identified areas to check the outsiders residing in rented apartments, inns, hotels and other public places. The divisional SPs have also been directed to ensure armed patrolling in the areas marked as most important and sensitive.
Meanwhile, the City Police on Friday claimed to have smashed two gangs of auto-lifters by arresting their six members, including the ringleaders, during a successful operation in the Cantonment police Division.
Maroof Safdar Wahla, SP Cantonment Police Division, told reporters that the police had also recovered 12 stolen cars from their possession. The arrested bandits have also confessed to 21 incidents of auto-lifting during preliminary investigations.
The auto-lifters were identified as Abeel and his accomplices Naveed and Faheem; and Shujaat and his accomplices Mahboob Abbas and Safeem Raza. The police further claimed that the arrested bandits were history-sheeters and they had been running organised gangs of motorcycle and car lifters. Further investigations are underway.