MANSEHRA: The Mansehra police have busted two inter-provincial gangs of automobile thieves and snatchers.

District police officer Sadiq Baloch told reporters here on Tuesday that the police had arrested Gharib Hussain, the ringleader of car thieves, including trained female members, who were wanted for car snatching and other crimes in different parts of the country.

He said the gang had snatched Rs0.9 million from Rashim Khan on the Butt Pull after getting payment for his sold vehicle from a nearby showroom and fled.

Accompanied by senior superintendent of police (investigation) Arif Javed, the DPO said the police traced the gang with the help of closed-circuit television cameras installed on the roads.

He said Rs0.9 million cash was also recovered from the ringleader, who belonged to Tarbat, Balochistan, and was settled in Gulistan-iGohar area of Karachi.

Mr Baloch said raids were under way to arrest other gangsters, including Fareed Khan of Gulistan-i-Gohar, Karachi, and Abbas Khan and Naseem Bibi of Tarbat, Balochistan, who were settled in Islamabad.

He said the police also busted another gang of car thieves and seized nine stolen vehicles.

He said the arrested men included Mohammad Danish of Abbottabad, Mohammad Saeed of Kohistan, Afzal Khan Noguzi of Mansehra,Afghan national Zohaib, Mujahid Khan and Irfan Khan of Havelian and Nadar Khan of Charsadda.

CRACKDOWN: Assistant director of the food department in Hazara division Imtiaz Ahmad Khan has claimed that the prices of essential commodities have come down drastically in the region due to the ongoing crackdown on hoarding and profiteering.

`We have fined hoarders and profiteers over Rs1 million and put many behind bars across division,` he told reporters here on Tuesday.

Mr Imtiaz said the crackdown was launched in Mansehra, Abbottabad, Battagram, Haripur, Torghar, Upper and Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts on the orders of the director (food).

The assistant director asked the residents to report hoarding, profiteering and sale of substandard and unhygienic goods for action.

Correspondent