Addressing a news conference, SSP Kashif Aftab Abbasi said that a team led by SP rural Saleem Abbas Kulachi and comprising several DSPs and SHOs of various police stations, traced the gangsters and made the arrests.
The arrestees also include a police officer who had been serving at the West Cantt Police Station in Peshawar. The SSP said the arrested cop had been suspended and departmental action initiated against him.
The arrestees used to loot money, costly mobile phones and other items. One of them is an IT expert who used to change the EIMI numbers of the phones before selling them in the nearby Afghanistan.
Besides Rs1.7 million, 172 mobile phones, 14 plasma screens, computers, a motorcar, motorbike and weapons were also recovered from the arrestees.
Abbasi said that actions against the black sheep in the police force would continue and besides departmental actions, criminal cases would also be lodged against them.
Meanwhile, five gamblers were arrested along with money on bet and arms in Faqeerabad locality while an inter-provincial drug peddler was arrested with 2kg charas and 2kg heroin in the limits of Chamkani Police Station.