Pickpockets have a field day at Qalandar’s Urs
Thousands of devotees from different faiths come to attend the Urs at the shrine of Sufi Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. photo: APP
The 77th Urs celebrations of popular Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar continued for a second day on Friday with devotees from all over the country thronging the shrine in Sehwan Sharif.
Devotees started returning to their hometowns due to the forecast of stormy rains in Sindh. While devotees are imbued by the spiritual fervour, pickpockets are having a field day as they have already targeted over 3,000 devotees, including journalists, in Sehwan city and on the shrine premises.
More than 40 women from different cities of Sindh and Punjab have had their earnings and other gold jewelry snatched within the shrine premises. CCTV footage led to the arrest of over 10 women by police.
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Meanwhile, Jamshoro SSP Muhammad Tariq Nawaz told a briefing that 5,000 police personnel are on duty in an effort to boost security measures for the Urs celebrations.
He claimed the arrest of over 50 pickpockets through CCTV surveillance, leading to the recovery of stolen cash and mobile phones.