KASUR, May 24: Provincial Minister for Prisons Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor on Saturday expressed his concern at the overcrowding of jails and vowed to eliminate torture cells and bribery from there.

During a visit to the Kasur district jail, Ghafoor ordered the release of three prisoners who were involved in petty crimes and were unable to pay the fine prescribed for their release.

He said Punjab’s 20 jails, which could hold 32,000 prisoners, were accommodating 59,000 prisoners. He said that special barracks would be built for prisoners where they could see their spouses once in three months. He said phones would be installed at all jail from where prisoners could talk to their families.

The minister told jail authorities to keep prisoners in their respective districts so that their relatives could see them easily. He announced two-month cut in the term of all prisoners and enhanced the daily expenditure on each prisoner from Rs19 a day to Rs50.

ROBBED: Five robbers deprived a family of gold, cash and other valuables in Mustafabad police precincts. The robbers entered the house of Abdul Majeed early on Saturday morning, held his family hostage and took away Rs150,000, six tola gold ornaments and other valuables.

SHOT DEAD: A woman was shot dead when she was travelling with her husband in Changa Manga police precincts.

Motorcyclist Muhammad Ayub was on his way to his home in Block 2 along with his wife Zubaida. A hooded man opened fire at them near Block 4 and disappeared in the nearby jungle. The bullet hit Zubaida who died on her way to the hospital.