Two youths killed over cattle grazing

The victims’ families stage protest, demanding arrest of culprits

SHEIKHUPURA:

Two youths were allegedly beaten to death with sticks and iron rods over a cattle grazing dispute in WAPDA Colony forest near Noorpur Wirkan on Thursday. Two others are at Mayo Hospital undergoing treatment due to severe injuries.

The two deceased victims were identified as Babar Hussain and Sajid Ahmed, residents of Ghazimad village near the colony, while Luqman Owais and Sharafat Ali were seriously injured.

A colony was planned for WAPDA employees near Noorpur Wirkan around 30 years ago, but due to alleged fraud during the purchase of land, plots could not be sold and the colony became overgrown with vegetation, resembling a forest.

In the meanwhile, a family allegedly started illegal farming by occupying several plots. They would reportedly charge Rs3,000 per month from every farmer who came to graze cattle.

On Thursday, five people from Ghazimad village brought 60 buffaloes to the colony for grazing. After they went to collect their cattle, they were chased in a car by suspects who severely tortured them with sticks and iron bars. After twelve hours, Babar Hussain and Sajid Ahmed died one after the other.

Dozens of people, including their heirs, protested against police ination by keeping the body of the deceased Sajid Ahmed outside the housing colony police station. The protestors demanded immediate arrest of Maqsoodan Bibi, her two brothers Mehmood Ahmed and Roshan and all accused involved in the double murder. They further demanded immediate police deployment to the uninhabited WAPDA Colony to end the extortion.

Taking strict notice of the incident, District Police Officer (DPO) Sheikhupura Zahid Nawaz Marwat formed teams led by SP Investigation Sheikhupura for the quick arrest of the accused. He issued orders to promptly arrest the accused and deliver justice to the relatives of the victims.

In the month of September last year, a man had stabbed his uncle, an aunt and a cousin reportedly over a property dispute in Lahore’s Mughalpura.

After the gruesome triple murder, the suspect identified as Shan Ali, made a call to his mother and informed her about the incident who then called the police about the murders.

Police reached the site of the incident and recovered the bodies.

As the police entered the crime scene, they found the victims with several marks of stabbing with their hands tied up.

The deceased had been identified as Saqib, 40, Maryam and Abdullah. Saqib was a rickshaw driver, Maryam a housewife and Abdullah a matric class student.

According to initial investigations, the murder was committed early in the morning as the victim had returned home in the early morning after driving the rickshaw.

Senior police officers reached the spot and collected forensic evidences.

The initial investigations suggested the prime suspect Shan did not commit the gruesome murder bid all alone.

He was escorted by another suspect also.

Saqib had received a bullet injury in his head while Maryam had been stabbed multiple times.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2023.