CHITRAL: The police on Wednesday arrested a man and recovered 30 goats from him in Arandu area of Drosh town, which had been snatched from a shepherd from Bumburate pastures near the Afghan border two days before Eidul Azha.

District police officer Abdul Haye Khan told Dawn that initially it was perceived that the Afghan bandits had herded the goats to the neighbouring Nooristan area as such incidents had also taken place in the past.

However, he said three accused, Karim Hussain of Arandu, Sahib Nadir of JinjiratKoh and Ismail of Ayun villages, took the goats away from a place near the Afghan border to hoodwink the people into believing that Afghans were involved in the theft.

The police officer said they started search in the area between Bumburate and Arandu to check if any herd of goats had passed through, and found a clue in the border village of JinjiratKoh where a local shepherd confirmed that some strangers had passed through the pasture some days ago with a herd of goats.

Using this lead, the police investigators turned to Drosh town on suspicion that the snatchers might have sold goats in the local market as people were purchasing sacrificial animals, he said, adding the police apprehended one of the accused, Karim, when the owners recognised their goats there.

He said out of 54 goats, the police recovered 30 and Rs295,000 from the accused.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2020