Four people have been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting a partridge fight as well as putting thousands of rupees on the illegal contest, said the police in Ghazi tehsil on Monday.
The authorities confiscated the partridges and the money. However, many of the villagers who brought their birds for the fight managed to escape with the spectators.
Ghazi SHO Raja Rafiuz Zaman told The Express Tribune the police learnt a partridge fight was being arranged by some villagers every month. They raided the venue in Kutab Bandi, a village bordering Punjab.
Although, he added, most of the spectators and bird owners fled during the raid but the four whose birds were in mid-fight were arrested. The men, arrested under Section 5 of the Gambling Ordinance, were identified as Abid Khan, Nadeem Ali, Jehangir and Shakeel. Zaman said four partridges, Rs15,000 in bet money and some trophies were also confiscated.
Rearing different types of partridges, including chukar partridges, is a common pastime in Hazara and some of the bordering districts of Punjab.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2014.
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