Daily Times

LAHORE: After attacks on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine in Sindh, The Mall in Punjab and other parts of the country, which left more than 150 innocent citizens dead, police conducted search operations in the provincial metropolis and apprehended a large number of people, including Afghans.

Police sources said that identification documents of residents, especially tenants living in rented houses and apartments, were checked during the search operations. Biometric device was also used on the occasion. Sources said that the police detained hundreds of persons who failed to produce any document regarding their identity. Law enforcers handed them over into the local police for further interrogation.

Security officials from intelligence agencies and police, including the Police Response Unit, Dolphin Force, Quick Response Force, Mujahid Force and Elite Force, continued the crackdown in different areas of the City Division, Cantt Division, Model Town Division, Iqbal Town Division, Saddar Division as well as their surrounding areas. Law enforcers also arrested suspects, terrorists’ facilitators and hardened criminals during the search operations.

Sources said that the police also contacted their private informers to provide information of those who were involved in any kind of criminal activity.

Police officials said that they had also recovered a number of weapons and other illegal material from some of the arrested suspects.

“In wake of recent upsurge in terrorist attacks in the country, search and combing operations in different parts of the city have been carried out and the security apparatus put on high alert,” said one of the sources.

On the directives of Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Dr Haider Ashraf, all divisional superintendents of police (SPs) have also conducted search operations in their respective areas. Police officials also started staging mock exercises in different residential areas, schools, colleges, markets and other important public places. According to sources, senior police officials are monitoring the police response time, and said that it would be better in the future.

Meanwhile, the police beefed up security at all entry and exist points of the city, and more police personnel have been deployed for strict checking of all vehicles.