Former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, along with his family, was going to Gilgit Baltistan when he was arrested outside his residence in Lahore’s Zahoor Elahi residence on Thursday, sources said.

Pervaiz was about to escape with the help of his family and children, they added. The driver told the police that the former Punjab chief minister was fleeing to the northern areas. He was leaving the house with a convoy of four vehicles.

According to the police, children and women were sitting in two vehicles, which were also checked.

Sources said that the vehicle in which the PTI president was riding was bulletproof and when the police stopped it for checking, the driver in the car did not open the door. On this, the police had doubts and tried to break the window. Amidst this, the former chief minister came out.

The police took Pervaiz to the Anti-Corruption Office in an official vehicle after taking him into custody.

Pervez Elahi joins a long list of key PTI leaders arrested in the security swoop to halt turmoil that has threatened to worsen instability in a country reeling from a crippling financial crisis.

Footage showed that a group of policemen whisked him away from his car to the police vehicle. Different cases have been registered against the Pervaiz in Mandi Bahauddin and Gujranwala.

Lahore has two police stations of the anti-corruption department where Pervaiz can be kept, said Aaj News Bureau Chief Saleem Sheikh. But he was of the view that the former chief minister would be kept in a “safe location” as it was a high profile case common people’s access was limited.

One of the anti-corruption cases is related to “receiving kickbacks” in development schemes. He had got bailed on the case, however, it was later cancelled on his non-appearance in court. Moreover, his medical report, which claimed he was sick, was challenged in court by the government.

The caretaker set-up challenged the veracity of the report, saying that the surgery doctor can only issue a medical report when conducting any operation. The administration of Civil Hospital had told the court the medical was “fake”.