FAISALABAD: The district administration has got arrested a bridegroom and about a dozen guests on charges of arranging a wedding ceremony at a marquee on Canal Road despite a ban by the Punjab government.

On a tip-off, City Assistant Commissioner Umer Maqbool raided the Royal Marquee on Monday night on Canal Road where the wedding ceremony of Naveed Akram was under way. About 500 guests were also present in the marriage hall. The raiding team along with the police managed to arrest the bridegroom and other guests some of them had come from other cities.

The marquee owner and manager managed their escape.

All the arrested were shifted to Mansoorabad police lock-up from where they were moved to a quarantine centre for their coronavirus tests.

Police have registered a case against the suspects under the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance 2020.

The FIR reads a man identified as Rana Ali Abbas is [allegedly] backing the marquee administration.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2020