GILGIT: The Gilgit police on Monday arrested four persons of a fake police group from a local hotel, who in the guise of being members of Punjab police`s anti-car lifting cell had set up checkposts across the Gilgit city during last three days, impounding dozens of Non-Custom Paid vehicles and forcing the owners to pay bribe.

The arrests were made on the directives of GB home department. However, the head of the team is still at large, and it is alleged that the GB police facilitated the fake team as they were reluctant to take action against them.

The GB home department had written a letter to the region`s inspector general police and the secretary excise and taxation about the matter, informing them that a team of Punjab police`s anti-car lifting cell was carrying out snap checking of vehicles and impounding them without prior permission of the home and excise and taxation departments.

The letter said the team impounded some vehicles with the help of some local police officials. It said the home secretary had taken serious notice of the illegal activity by the Punjab police without formal approval of the GBgovernment.

The home department requested the GB police that illegal checking and lifting of vehicles should be stopped immediately and allthose vehicles taken into custody immediately be returned to the possessors.

The fake team recently impounded eights vehicles fromlimits of Danyor police station in Gilgit city, three from Yadgar Chowk, Gilgit and one from Basin, Gilgit.

After the letter from the home department, SHO cantonment police arrested four persons of the team from a local hotel and shifted them to police station for further investigation.

Talking to Dawn, SHO Mohammad Jafari said the Gilgit police facilitated the team on the orders of Gilgit SSP after the team showed themselves as members of the Punjab police`s anti-car lifting cell, searching illegal vehicles in the region.

`Yes it is an illegal team doing their activity without permission of GB government,` said the police official. He said police were investigating the case and the details would be shared with the media. He claimed that the impounded vehicles had been returned to the owners. The police official said still they had not registered any FIR against the group or officially arrested them, adding action would be taken against the falce group after the instructions of SSP Gilgit.

An excise and taxation department source said the team had been illegally harassing vehicle owners after setting fake checkposts at different locations. He also accused the local police of facilitating the fake police officials.