GUJRANWALA, Nov 7: The federal investigation agency (FIA) has so far recovered record Rs60 million from agents of human smugglers in the Gujranwala division during the last 10 months.

This was stated by FIA deputy director Shahid Hamid and assistant director Arif Bukhari here on Sunday.

They said the government had inducted only 22 approved agents throughout the division but more than 100 unregistered agents were extorting money from the people.

They further said that inquiries against some 1,456 fake agents were going on.

The officials pointed out that around 240 criminals, including 22 proclaimed offenders, were also arrested by FIA raiding teams in the corresponding period.

WATER THIEVES: Around 10 landlords were caught red-handed on Sunday by a joint team of the police and irrigation department while stealing canal water in Mari Thakaran village and Naushera Virkan.

Acting on a tip-off that landlords were stealing water by breaching the canal in some villages, the joint team raided there and caught them red-handed. The raiding team also recovered pipes and other equipment from their possession.

Cases have been registered against the accused while further investigation is under way.

LOADSHEDDING: The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) has started gas loadshedding in various parts of the city during sehr and iftar hours.

Residents of these areas protested against the gas loadshedding during Ramazan and demanded that the practice should be suspended immediately otherwise they would besiege the SNGPL's regional office.

The affected colonies are: Irfat Colony, Mujahidpura, Ismaeelpura, Jamshedpura, Rahmanpura, Sultanpura, Tarpura Quzafi Road, Muslim Town, Shafiqpura, Tariqpura and Abdullahpura.

ELECTROCUTED: A truck driver was electrocuted in Jamki Chattha on Sunday.

The truck was on its way to Wazirabad from Jamki Chattha village. Near a bridge, driver Muhammad Anwer tried to set the side mirror, but his hand touched with an electric wire. He received a severe shock and died on the way to THQ Hospital, Wazirabad. The police sent the body to hospital for autopsy.

HIGH ALERT: The railway police and its bomb disposal squads have been high-alerted and commandos deployed at rail tracks to combat any terrorist activity on the eve of Eid.

This was stated by railway police IG Chaudhry Ahmad Nasim while talking to Dawn here on Sunday.

He said special raiding teams, led by senior officers, had already been constituted while he would himself pay surprise visits to important railway stations to review security arrangements.

He directed the police to enhance patrolling at railway stations and trains to avoid any untoward incident.