FAISALABAD – A dacoit gang took away food stock worth Rs 5 million from four shops of a market at midnight and escaped. The dacoits intruded into Minerva Market at night and overpowered the only security guard, snatched his rifle from him and detained him in a shop. Then they broke the locks of the shops owned by Khawaja Babar, Chaudhry Rafique, Rana Jaffar and Abdus Sattar and loaded their food stock worth Rs 5 million in a vehicle and escaped. Ghalla Mandi Trade Union officials, including President Haji Muhammad Asif Aslam and General Secretary Muhammad Ayyub Munj, condemned the incident.
Man kills married daughter for ‘honour’: A married woman who deserted her husband and eloped with her lover was killed by her father in the Mamun Knajan area. Ambar Bibi daughter of Muhammad Riaz, a resident of Chak No 514-GB, in Mamun Kanjan, was married to Muhammad Yaseen some times back. The couple was having a troubled marital life. The woman eloped with another man of the area last week. The father of the woman traced the couple and brought her daughter to his house where he shot her dead.
KIDNAPPERS GANG-RAPE WOMAN: Tandlianwala police are looking for the two men who kidnapped a girl and gang-raped her for several months. Falak Sher, a resident of Chak No 409 GB, reported to Sadar police that his daughter was kidnapped by Punnu Khan and his accomplice who kept her in their captivity for several months and repeatedly raped her. The complainant, in his application to SSP Imran alleged that his daughter managed to escape and arrived at home. The police registered a case on the the SSP’s orders.
BOY SODOMISED: A man took a teenage boy to his house and sodomised him at Chak No 607 GB, Tandalianwala. Muhammad Yousuf of Chak No 607 GB told the Bahlak police that his 14-year-old nephew Omer Farooq was sodomised by Ghulam Muhammad of the same village.
FOUR KIDNAPPED IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS: Four people, including two minor girls, were kidnapped in separate incidents in the city during 24 hours. Hafiz Abid Rabbani, a resident of Rehmatabad, told the Sargodha Road police that his brother-in-law Babar was kidnapped by Zafar Iqbal and his accomplices over an old enmity.
In another incident in Factory Area, Zahid Pervez, a resident of Masoodabad reported to the Factory Area police that his son Abdul Mannan was kidnapped by Yasser and Imran when he was coming back from school.
In the third case of kidnapping, Shahid Pervez, a resident of Mehar Chowk, reported to Madina Town police that Boota and Nadeem of the sqme village kidnapped his nine-year-old daughter and took her to some unknown place.
In the last incident, a housewife, Nighat Maqbool of Mohallah Punjpeer, Jhang Road, reported to Rail Bazaar police that her 13-year-old housemaid, Fatima Bibi, was kidnapped by Yousuf and Zulfikar when she was going to a utility store to buy some household items.
ROBBERY VICTIM DIES IN HOSPITAL: A 20-year-old B.Com student who was critically injured by robbers died in a hospital after fighting for his life for two weeks. According to details, Shahzad Ali son of Assistant Sub Inspector Naseer Ahmed Gujjar was shot at and injured by dacoits in Lalazar Colony in the jurisdiction of Garrh Maharaja Police Station on February 13 for resisting a robbery attempt. He was admitted to Allied Hospital Faisalabad where he died. Protest against Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination continues: Christian community of Faisalabad held processions and rallies to condemn the assassination of Federal Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti. Hundreds of people, including women and children, gathered in front of Catholic Church, Railway Road, to mourn the killing of their leader. The protesters were carrying Christian cross painted in red symbolising blood, demanding the arrest of the killers.
The women were crying, saying that Christians have become orphan after the brutal murder of their leader. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Aftab Ahmed Cheema called an emergency meeting of Interfaith Harmony Committee Faisalabad to discuss the law and order situation. The meeting was attended by SSP Operations Doctor Usman Anwar, Father Aftab Nazeer, M Naz, Ishaq Khan Pasha, Peter Javed, Pastor Shakeel Francis, Shahid M Paul, Khalid Nadeem, Waqar Manzoor Gill, Maulana Yousuf Anwar, Qari Muhammad Hanif Bhatti, Pir Ibrahim, Syed Jaffar Shah, Allama Tahir-ul-Hassan, Hafiz Muhammad Amjad, Sahibzada Omar Farooq and others.
The RPO regretted the death of Shahbaz Bhatti and called him a very popular leader who had a bold stance on the national issues. He said his killing was a conspiracy to divide various segments of the society and appealed to the religious leaders to convince the masses to promote harmony and tolerance. Another meeting of the district committee of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance reiterated to continue the peace mission of the late Shahbaz Bhatti. “His death is a serious blow to the oppressed minorities,” said a participant.
