LAHORE The alleged patronage of Punjab Police to hardened criminals has denied justice to the poor people who are now reluctant to approach police concerned out of fear of kicks. A number of people seeking justice or pursuing their cases are being threatened of dire consequences by both, the police and the accused, The Nation has learnt. No change in 'thana culture will be possible as long as the criminals are being allegedly patronised by the Punjab Police, a question mark hanging over the future of this department. In the first case, six police officers including an ASI of the Burki Police Station allegedly killed a youth namely Azeem over personal grudge on July 30. Azeem had refused to be frisked on which the police officers abducted and later killed him, the heirs of the deceased alleged. A case was lodged against the accused policemen, but no action against them was taken. In another case, some three policemen of the Shafiqabad Police Station allegedly thras-hed two youths after they resisted to the 'forced search on July 31. The policemen made off with handsome money robbed from them. No case against the accused cops has still been registered. In the third incident, a 24-year-old youth died having been drowned in River Ravi after he ran to save himself from police firing in the wee hours of Sunday last. The deceased was identified as Shahid Butt, resident Kamran Park. According to the locals Shahid was passing through the river Ravi when some policemen intercepted him and asked for search. The police officers, however, opened indiscriminate firing on his back minutes after he left the site as a result of which he fell into the river and drowned. An FIR was registered against the unknown police officers on the stateme-nt of Tariq Butt, brother of the deceased. In a recent incident, the family of a girl along with dozens of locals staged a protest demonstration against Ferozewala Police Station as they were allegedly patronising the accused who assaulted the girl on Tuesday. Some accused namely Sa-iful Din, Machi, Boota and Sakina abducted a girl Kals-oom Bibi here on July 29 from her house at Sui Gas Road, Ferozwala. Nazeeran Bibi, mother of the victim girl, alleged that the accused Amir, Jaji, Mahi along with their five unidentified accomplices raped the girl. Fer-ozwala police officers however recovered the girl after couple of days when her life was ruined, she added.