ISLAMABAD: The capital police have started air surveillance of areas having lands vulnerable to grabbing, and identified lands which were occupied by the grabbers, SSP Operations Dr Mustafa Tanveer told Dawn.

He said air surveillance was conducted with drones by an anti-land grabbing unit of the police.

Lands in Islamabad are grabbed in rural areas, he said, adding the land grabbers were active in Bhara Kahu, Banigala, Koral, Loi Bher, Nilore, Sihala, Noon, Tarnol and Golra.

The land mafia grabbed private as well as government lands in open places particularly adjacent to housing societies, or for housing schemes, the SSP said. Most of the lands are grabbed for housing societies and schemes.

Agents deployed on occupied lands by the land mafia escape after seeing the police. These ‘henchmen’ deployed by the land mafia are identified through the air surveillance for legal action.

With the help of drones, the anti-land grabbing unit is checking the presence of the agents of the land mafia, including their pickets and makeshift arrangements made after occupying lands, the SSP said. The unit has gathered information about the henchmen to take effective action against them.

Besides, the police make videos on the lands to use as evidence against the land grabbers, he added.

The police took action against the mafia, their facilitators and henchmen in different phases, the SSP said.

In the first phase, known land grabbers involved in the illegal activity for the last a couple of decades were arrested.

In the second phase, six land grabbers were also arrested, Dr Tanveer said, adding in the third phase action was initiated against the facilitators and henchmen of the land grabbers after identifying them through drone cameras.

The police have arrested members of the land mafia, their facilitators and henchmen under 3-MPO and 5-MPO, the SSP said. Those arrested under 3-MPO were sent to jail till further order while those held under 5-MPO were released on bail against hefty surety bonds.

During the last a couple of months, 29 operations were conducted against the land grabbers, and so far 44 alleged land grabbers have been arrested, the SSP said. Land measuring 2,169 kanals and three marlas worth Rs2,851.5 million were recovered from them.

Moreover, the police also deweaponised the areas having lands vulnerable to grabbing. In this regard, announcements were made from mosques, asking the residents to get their weapons registered at the local police stations.

Only those who have legal or licensed weapons will get their weapons registered at the police station, he said. It would help the police confiscate the unregistered weapons.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2021