TOBA TEK SINGH: An LPG cylinder shop owner, one of his employees and a customer were injured critically in a blast on Tuesday night on Sitara Colony-Gulshan Iqbal Colony Road, Faisalabad.

Rescue 1122 officials said gas was being decanted when a cylinder exploded as a result fire broke out in the shop. Shop owner Ali Akbar, his employee Ahmad Sarwar and customer Muhammad Hassan received severe injuries.

They were shifted to burn unit of Allied hospital. Firefighters were struggling to control the fire till the filing of the report at 9pm.

ENCOUNTER: Two robbers were killed in an encounter at Toba with Rajana police on Tuesday morning.

A district police spokesperson said after receiving information that three robbers were looting the people, a team found three suspects riding a motorcycle and signalled them to stop at Ganju Mor police post on a link road. On seeing the police, the suspects opened fire and drove away towards Adda Philour.

Police chased them near motorway M-3 bridge where they took shelter in crops. Firing was again exchanged and when guns went silent police found two of them dead while their third accomplice had managed to flee.

Police claimed that both died as a result of firing by their own accomplice.

BOOKED: Faisalabad’s Nishatabad police registered on Tuesday a case against 17 people, including 13 nominated and others unidentified, on the charge of attacking and injuring a lady police sub-inspector Shazia Masih.

In a first information report registered under sections 354, 509, 148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code, Shazia alleged that in her village Chak 100 JB Kurriwala, Shoaib Masih and his 16 accomplices tortured her brother, after he restrained them from making noise after drinking liquor.

She added when she and her sister Nazia attempted to rescue him, the suspects also attacked them, tore their clothes and pulled them on the ground in the street and made a video clip.

Police have arrested three of the suspects and are conducting raids to arrest their accomplices.

ACCIDENT: A car rider died after his vehicle fell down from motorway M-3 and overturned near Pirmahal interchange on Tuesday.

Reports said the accident took place after a tyre of the car burst.

The deceased was identified as Rana Humayun Sarfraz (35) of Muslim Town, Bahawalpur, and he was on way to Lahore.

COTTON: The Punjab agriculture department has set target of sowing cotton on 115,800 acres in all four districts of Faisalabad division.

of the total target, cotton had been sown on 104,263 acres so far.

This was told in divisional cotton crop management committee meeting which was presided over by commissioner Ms Silwat Saeed on Tuesday while DCs of all districts participated through video link.

The commissioner directed the officials that 100 per cent of sowing target must be achieved, ensuring availability of fertilisers at government fixed price.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2024