FAISALABAD, Jan 26: The local police have directed all the traders of the district to close their businesses after 9 pm. District Police Officer Amin Wains on Monday asked shopkeepers and industrialists to hire at least one armed guard for the round-the-clock security of their respective business establishments.

The SHOs distributed a hand-written order among the shopkeepers directing them to close their businesses after 9 pm or face legal action. Official sources claimed that the closure of shops in rural and urban areas after 9 pm would help arrest the crime rate in the district.

Transportation of grey-cloth and yarn after dusk had already been banned by local police which also directed the factory owners to close the main gates of their units immediately after sunset.

Traders have criticized the measure and termed it highly unjustified. They said that the people usually visit markets after Isha prayers and the traders would sustain huge financial loss because of the step taken by the local police to close shops after 9 pm.

DACOITIES: Dacoits, robbers and thieves took away hundreds of thousands of rupees, gold ornaments and two motorcycles in 10 strikes in the city and its rural areas during the last 24 hours.

Three masked men looted thousands of rupees, gold ornaments and valuables from the house of school teacher Mahmood Ahmad in Muslim Town area. A gang of dacoits snatched gold ornaments, worth Rs400,000, and other articles from the family of Jawed Hussain in Haseeb Shaheed Colony area.

Armed men looted cash, gold ornaments and other articles from the house of Bashir Ahmad in Chak 74 GB of Satiana area. Two robbers took away a motorcycle and thousands of rupees from Dr Muhammad Zahid in Chak 192 RB.

Two masked men took away the motorcycle (No FSB 2009) of Irshad Ahmad in the Jhang Bazar area. Robbers looted ghee tins, worth thousands of rupees, from coachman Abdul Rasheed on Narwala Road.

Thieves took away gold ornaments, worth Rs500,000, and Rs100,000 from the house of local trader Shafiq Ahmad in Guru Nanakpura. Some other thieves took away electric goods, gold ornaments and household articles from the house of Mirza Khan in Samanabad.

Cash, gold ornaments and other valuables, worth thousands of rupees, were stolen from the houses of Shahid Ali in Sindhu Town and of Muhammad Asif in D-Type Colony.