MITHI: The four young trespassers who had confessed to sneaking into a Hindu temple to steal the cash presented to deities as offering by the faithful in Premo-Ji-Vary village on the outskirts of Chhachhro town a few days ago were sent to juvenile school in Hyderabad on the orders of a local court.

The boys who were students of primary school in the same village were arrested late on Monday night by Chhachhro police with the help of the village’s footprint trackers.

Police produced the boys in the court of judicial magistrate-I, Mithi, on Tuesday evening and the judge ordered the boys would remain in the juvenile school for next two days.

After being arrested in Alanabad village, Allah Dino, 12, Imran, Ali Sher, 13, and Mashooq, 15, had confessed to having stolen cash from the money box placed in the temple. They were tracked down by local footprint experts with the help of their footprints.

Police registered the FIR against the minor suspects on a complaint lodged by Prem Kumar under various sections, including 295, of Pakistan Penal Code.

Tharparkar SSP Abdullah Ahmedyar told this reporter that if the complainant withdrew the application then police might also quash the FIR in the light of fresh evidence.

He said that police were probing the incident from various angles and they would submit a detailed report of the incident in local court on next date of hearing.

The incident had created uproar in the desert region with members of Sindh cabinet and lawmakers joining the chorus of condemnation and calls for stern action against the culprits.

Protest against lawlessness

BADIN: A large number of traders and workers of Grand Democratic Alliance on Wednesday took out a rally and staged a demonstration at Badar Chowk in Tando Bago in protest against growing incidents of thefts and robberies in the town.

The protesters’ leaders said that local police had completely failed to maintain law and order in the town where incidents of theft and robbery in broad daylight had become order of the day.

They said that increasing crimes had created a sense of insecurity among the area people, forcing them to take to the streets. The protesters ended the demonstration after DSP Ali Raza assured that the culprits would be arrested.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2020