OUR STAFF REPORTER LAHORE Dozens of people held a massive protest demonstration against the Masti Gate and Mustafaabad police stations here on Friday. A large number of shopkeepers of Moti Bazaar held the demonstration and chanted slogans against police concerned. They blocked the local road by setting tyres on fire during their protest. According to them, about five to six shops were being robbed in a week but the police under the command of SHO Masti Gate were playing criminal role instead of extending their efforts to nab the hardened criminals. Moti Bazaar president Malik Liaquat and Amjad Minhaas said the ratio of robberies had shot up in Moti Bazaar whereas the police were mum over the crimes. They said that they had held two dacoits and also handed over to SHO Masti Gate with an application to lodge FIR against them but the police demanded Rs 20,000 for the aforesaid official duty. Its unbelievable fact that the SHO released the dacoits instead of taking action against them, vice president Mirza Jameel Baig and other office-bearers of the market said. However, the protestors were dispersed after the newly-appointed SHO assured them of initiating legal action against the robbers. Meanwhile, the citizens claimed to have seen 'dacoits policemen deployed at a picket in Mustafaabad police area here late on Thursday. According to one Awais, a resident of Shadbagh, a few police contingents under the supervision of ASI Khalid stopped him for thorough search. During the search, they collected cash and other valuables worth thousands of rupees from me and my friend and escaped.