OKARA: A local footballer was arrested on charge of raping a girl at her house in the city. As per first information report, the suspect, a footballer, was approached by the family of the girl to help her join football academy as she was keen to play football. On Dec 31, the suspect came to the girl’s house at Benazir Avenue and asked her to provide some academy admission related information while sitting in the drawing room. Meanwhile, the girl’s mother left the house to bring some tea items. When she returned, she found her daughter weeping and she told her that the suspect had raped her at gunpoint. The mother called 15 and police reached there. However, the suspect had escaped before arrival of police. On the report of the girl’s mother, City A Division police registered a rape case. Later, police claimed to have arrested the suspect. DPO: District Police Officer Muhammad Rashid Hidayat said that in the year 2024, district police busted 210 criminals’ gangs, arrested 609 persons and recovered Rs206m stolen & snatched items besides 1,005 various kinds of illegal weapons from them. On the narcotics side, 1,549 drug paddlers were put behind the bars after recovering 1,411kg charas, 26kg heroin, 25kg opium, 10kg ice and 24277 litres of alcohol from them. As many as 108 ‘mini factories’ of alcohol were also shut down. Police arrested 5,741 proclaimed offenders and 784 court absconders. They registered 32,115 cases and arrested 13,376 suspects with Rs395m recovered from them. Under Police Tahaffaz Markaz, 3,820 persons were provided with safety cover.