Police, intelligence agencies collecting data on criminals among IDPs

[Naveed Yaseen]

Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: After intelligence reports of militants and criminals fleeing Malakand in the guise of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the Frontier Police and security agencies have kicked off data collection drive in the recently established camps to get hold of miscreants taking shelter there, a source told The News.

Four alleged miscreants, in the guise of IDPs, were held late Tuesday night when police and intelligence officials raided a house in the jurisdiction of Faqirabad Police Station. “A number of militants and criminals, wanted to police in several cases, have moved down from Buner, Swat and Dir to the camps established for IDPs in Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar,” the source disclosed.

The source said the militants and criminals in the guise of IDPs are not only living in tent villages, but they have also hired houses in urban areas to avoid arrest. He disclosed that district police officers of the five districts and station house officers of the concerned police stations have been directed to collect data on all IDPs in their respective areas so that no militant and criminal could escape arrest.

“People have also been directed not to rent out their houses to anyone without prior information to the local police. Action will be taken against those who will rent out their houses without bringing it to the knowledge of the concerned police,” the source informed. Apart from the IDPs, a crackdown has also been launched on illegal Afghan nationals living in urban areas of the Frontier and mostly involved in criminal and terrorist incidents.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=177527