Mob tries to burn cattle thieves

Police officials arrived in time to rescue Bushra and Yaqub, Abid was injured and is in the hospital.

KHANGARH:

A mob of over a hundred people held three people for allegedly trying to steal their livestock and attempted to burn them on Saturday. 

According to eyewitnesses, a large mob of Khangarh residents tortured three livestock thieves and tried to burn them but police officials arrived at the scene and put a stop to the burning. “They had the men tied up and had already sprinkled oil on them. One was already set on fire but police arrived,” said an eyewitness Rasool Khan.

Police officials immediately put a stop to the activity and sent the injured to the THQ hospital, where doctors said he would make a full recovery.  Locals in the area said that the National highway turned into a battlefield for over an hour, after the men were caught trying to escape with a truck loaded with livestock.

According to locals in the area, six people including a woman entered Moza Punjgraian’s village Lohar Wala and broke into landlord Mehr Asim Dil’s house. “They asked a man to fetch them water and while two of my servants went to get them water they fled with my livestock,” Dil said. “The truck was loaded with my cows and they drove it off,” he added.

Dil told police that he took hundreds of people with him and blocked the road at Munda Chowk. “I called my relatives and told them to apprehend the truck when it reached the chowk. We caught them trying to make an escape,” he said.

Hundreds of people blocked the road at Munda chowk and held accused Abid Kera, Yaqub Baloch and a woman Bushra. Another two accused Sagheer, Rani and Murid fled the scene. “Two armed accomplices Ayub Kala and Javed arrived to set the thieves free. They began firing at the crowd and that was when a dozen people tied the men and woman down and sprinkled petrol on them,” Musarrat Khan said. “They were going to burn them alive when we called the police. Abid Kera was injured but he will survive because the police arrived on time,” she added.

A bystander, Mehr Asim, was severely injured in the quarrel after there was a stampede. “When the police arrived everyone began running and left the thieves in the middle of the road. I nearly got trampled,” Asim told police, after he broke his arm.

Police officials have arrested Murid and Sagheer and lodged a case against the thieves. “We have arrested the thieves as well as two people who were holding them down and trying to set them on fire,” a police inspector said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2011.