Robbery Case: Protest against police inaction

“Upon hearing the noise, some of the neighbours raised alarm due to which robbers fled without collecting valuables,”

FAISALABAD: Scores of residents of village 535-GB on Tuesday staged a protest demonstration against the Dijkot police’s failure to arrest robbers. Yaqoob Ali, one of the protesters, said five days ago, three masked armed men had broken into his house and held the residents at gunpoint. They tried to rob the money, gold jewellery and other valuable items in the house but the women in the house started crying loudly. “Upon hearing the noise, some of the neighbours raised alarm due to which the robbers fled without collecting the valuables,” he said. “When they were running away, their masks fell off and we recognised them...they were from this area.” He said they had complained to the Dijkot police but the police did not take action against them. Ali said the suspects were at large and had threatened them with dire consequences if they pursued the case. Ali also alleged that the police had demanded a bribe to register the case. The Dijkot station house officer arrived at the scene and tried to placate the demonstrators. He assured them that the robbers would be arrested soon. The SHO told The Express Tribune that preliminary investigations had revealed that Ali was levelling the charge against an old rival. He said the police had hesitated to file a case because he might have been trying to exact revenge. “However we are investigating the incident and will take action on merit,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.