MIANWALI, May 20: Police arrested eight people on Tuesday for allegedly gambling tens of thousand rupees on cockfight. Police also confiscated four cocks from the fighting arena.

Police, on a tip-off, raided Dera Amirwala on Musakhel Link Road where cockfight was in full swing and hundreds of spectators were present. Most of the spectators staked money on their favourite cockerels. In two rounds of fight, the stake money reached Rs2.1 million.

Seeing police, gamblers fled and police could arrest only eight people who are: Hakim, Sajjad, Liaquat, Sher Muhammad, Iqbal, Akram Janokhel, Anwarul Haq, Muhammad Amir and Muhammad Afzal. The arrested people are from Bhakkar, Khushab and Sargodha.

After the wheat harvest season, cockerel and quail fights are a common feature in the district where millions are staked.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Syed Jamat Ali told Dawn that eight gamblers were arrested but police would nominate 50 others in the first information report. Wan Buchran Station House Officer Muhammad Riaz refused to disclose the confiscated money.

BIRD-LOVER DIES: A quail-lover suffered a heart attack and died after his pet was defeated in a fight. Nur Muhammad Dhodhi, of Mohallah Kohatian, staked Rs3,500 on his quail, Gulfam, in a fight. The opponent quail injured Gulfam forcing it to run away. Dejected Dhodhi took it to heart and died of cardiac arrest.