The district police have launched a crackdown on foreigners, staying illegally in Multan after the arrest of a Sri Lankan here on Tuesday night. The Sri Lankan was identified as Christi Silva, who was caught from Maryam Church near industrial estate located in the area of Muzaffarabad Police.
CPO Multan Aamir Zulfikar Khan confirmed the arrest of a Sri Lankan who was staying in Multan for the last two-year unlawfully. He told this scribe that Inspector General of Police Punjab Javed Iqbal had issued orders for the launch of crackdown on all such foreigners who did not leave Multan despite termination of their visa date. Station House Officers (SHOs) of all police stations had started searching foreigners in their respective areas and conducted raids at a number of places.
It may be recalled that two foreign aid workers namely Bernd Johanne, a German national, and Giovanni, an Italian were kidnapped by four unidentified armed persons from Qasim Bela area on Thursday evening. Both of them worked for a German NGO Welthungerhilfe (WHH) that is executing a rehabilitation project in flood-hit areas of Muzaffargarh district in South Punjab.
The abducted foreigners are still missing as police failed to trace them and their kidnappers. Police suspected that they might have been kidnapped by any terrorist outfit but no group claimed the abduction till filing of this report either. Security agencies claim that the foreigners were living illegally. "They had submitted an application for issuance of NOC in last June but it was rejected by the district administration," police sources disclosed.