Lahore’s Bakar Mandi and Shahpur Mandi have become a hub for extortionists where thousands of rupees of extortion money is extorted from butchers and meat sellers on a daily basis while no authority is present to check this criminal activity, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Haji Lala Qaiser Lal Din heads a group of extortionists and has been operating at Bakar Mandi near Yateem Khana for several years. His accomplices include Mubeen, Irshad aka Shahida, Ameen, Laada, Mohammad Latif aka Veer, Abbas, Akhtar and many others.
Likewise, in Shahpur, one Jahangir heads a group and operates from Allah Wali Farm in the area. All brokers and butchers pay half of what they earn to Jahangir and his group. His group includes around 14 people including Tony, Kashif, Imran, Faqir Hussain, Abbas, Bilu and others.
Those who refuse to pay money to these extortionists are brutally beaten up by the gang after which they either leave the business for good or are forced to operate according the wishes of these criminals.
A butcher talking to Pakistan Today in fear and on condition of anonymity revealed this information. He said, “If they find out my identity my life could be in danger. I have been working at the Bakar Mandi for the past 27 years and now I have shifted to Shahpur Mandi. These two groups are operating together in these areas fearlessly”.
He said in all these years, no action had been taken against these extortionists who were living on the hard work and labour of poor butchers in these markets. He further said these people had contacts with high ranking officials and are not afraid to murder a person. “We are afraid to register complaints against these groups because we fear they are involved with the authorities. Somehow whenever anyone has complained, they are able to trace out that person. Therefore, we don’t register any complaints and take home whatever they leave for us,” he said.
“Each broker here has a representative who wanders the markets and takes a commission from butchers per animal slaughtered. No customer in these markets can make a transaction without a representative overlooking the exchange. They extort between Rs 1,500-2,000 per animal and in some cases take Rs 5,000 per animal. In addition, they take half of the butcher’s labour money also,” he said.
A Police DIG Operations spokesman when contacted said all those who are forcibly extorting money will be dealt with strongly. “If any public official is found involved in such a practice, strict action would be taken against them and they would be relieved from their duty,” he said. Punjab Police has suspended several officials who were found to be involved in corrupt practices and the department will continue to implement this practice, he said.
