‘Loan’ ranger tied to a tree

GUJRANWALA: Hafizabad police managed to recover a man who was tied to a tree for being unable to repay his landlord’s loan.

In the precincts of the Wanki Tarar police station in Dhariwal, influential landlords punished a man for being unable to pay the price of two cows that he had purchased on a loan. Tasveer Ahmed, a father of six, was kidnapped and tied to a tree in the men’s courtyard with chains six days ago on June 2.

Three months ago, Tasveer, who does not have a house and is extremely poor purchased two cows from a local landlord Mohammad Yusuf on loan. The cows were sick and died within a month, upon which Yusuf and his two brothers feared that Tasveer would not repay the loan. The three men went to his house and threatened him to pay up on time.

When Tasveer was unable to come up with Rs120,000 he was kidnapped at night and brought to the dera(out house) of the land lords. Tasveer was kept in the dera for six days where he was made to work in the fields during the day and was tied to a tree in the courtyard in the evenings. Tasveer said that he was repeatedly flogged and was abused while in the land lords’ custody. “They made me work in the fields without food and the only meal I got was at night after they had tied me up,” he said.

“They tied me up with chains and made me take my meal with the dogs tied to the tree. I was served food in the same containers as the dogs,” Tasveer said. Tasveer’s wife, Rafiqan bibi said that she had appealed to Mohammad Yusuf and his brothers several times for the release of her husband. She had even offered to pay them Rs20,000 immediately and let them confiscate Tasveer’s motorcycle. “They refused, they said that they would either kill him or keep him there. Yusuf said that he wanted the entire money otherwise they would kill my husband,” Rafiqan said.

Rafiqan then contacted the local police to intervene. District superintendent police (DSP) Sheikh Abid, upon hearing about the incident deployed station house officer (SHO) Zafar Gondal to the site.

A police team raided the dera and found Tasveer tied to the tree in the court yard. “He was tied with heavy chains, usually used to tie up cattle and there were two dogs and goats tied up with him,” Gondal said.

The police unchained Tasveer and registered FIRs against Mohammad Yusuf, his two brothers and his son.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2010.