LAHORE: The Lahore police have released enforcement figures covering vehicle checking, arrests of proclaimed offenders and seizures of banned kite-flying material, alongside an alleged encounter in Johar Town.
According to a spokesperson for Lahore police, more than 163,000 vehicles and more than 674,000 motorcycles have been subjected to snap checking this year.
Legal action was taken against 8,897 people riding motorcycles without documents. A total of 177 motorcycles bearing “applied for” plates and 422 with non-standard number plates were impounded at various police stations. A further 265 motorcycles were taken into custody.
The spokesperson said snap checking had been made more effective across the city ahead of Friday, with security kept on high alert during Friday prayer congregations to ensure the protection of citizens’ lives and property.
The motorcycle-to-car ratio in those figures — roughly four to one — reflects Lahore’s traffic composition rather than any targeting decision. Motorcycles are the dominant vehicle class in the city and account for a corresponding share of both documentation offences and road casualties.
The Dolphin Squad has arrested 70 suspects wanted in various cases during a crackdown against proclaimed offenders, court absconders and habitual criminals.
According to SP Dolphin Bilal Ahmed, those arrested include four proclaimed offenders facing multiple cases of a serious nature.
Operations also resulted in the detention of 47 suspects with prior records and 14 habitual offenders, while five court absconders wanted in cases under trial were arrested.
Bilal Ahmed said all arrested suspects have been handed over to the relevant police stations for further legal proceedings.
A proclaimed offender is a person declared absconding by a court after failing to appear despite process being issued. Arrests in this category represent the clearing of existing warrants rather than the detection of new offences.
Lower Mall and Lohari police arrested three kite sellers in separate actions.
A total of 320 kites and 16 spools of banned chemical string were recovered. From Lohari Gate, 100 kites were recovered from suspects named as Hanan and Aman Nasir. Lower Mall police recovered 220 kites and 16 chemical string spools from a suspect named Ameer and took him into custody.
Police said the suspects were supplying kites and spools despite the prohibition, and were using cardboard cartons to move the material. Cases have been registered.
The seizures carry particular weight this week. On the same day, the Deputy Commissioner announced that the registration portal for licensed kite manufacturers, traders and sellers opens on 5 September ahead of Basant 2027.
The two are not in conflict — they are the two halves of the same policy. The 2026 revival permitted only thread-based string, and the chemical-coated string recovered in these seizures is exactly the material the regulation exists to keep out of circulation. Seventeen people died during the February festival, according to figures the home department provided to the Lahore High Court.
A licensed, registered supply chain has value only if the unlicensed one is suppressed alongside it.
One suspect was arrested in an injured condition during an alleged police encounter in Johar Town, while an accomplice escaped.
According to police, a raid was conducted in G-1 Block Market to arrest the suspect, and the suspects allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on the police team. One suspect was injured in the police response and arrested; the other fled. The injured suspect, named as Moon, was shifted to hospital for medical treatment.
Police said the arrested suspects had allegedly robbed a citizen at his doorstep in Johar Town a few days earlier. SHO Johar Town Nouman Shakoor said the arrested suspect is involved in multiple robbery incidents.
Police said raids are being conducted at various locations to arrest the suspect who escaped.
The account of the encounter is the police version. The arrested man’s account is not available, and no independent verification of the sequence has been obtained. Police encounter narratives in Punjab have been the subject of judicial scrutiny in a number of cases.
None of the individuals named in this report has been convicted. All retain the presumption of innocence, and arrest is not a finding of guilt.
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