BAHAWALPUR: Police on Monday registered a case against unidentified culprits who stole the hockey stick and ball attached to the hockey legend Samiullah Khan’s statue installed in Model Town here on Sunday.

The fiber glass statue of Samiullah Khan was installed a few weeks back by Bahawalpur Cantonment Board (BCB) to pay tribute to the Olympian. On Sunday, someone stole away the hockey stick and the ball attached to the statue.

The Cantonment police, on the complaint of a citizen, Malik Salman Awan, registered an FIR (No 373/21), under sections 379, 427 and 294 of the Pakistan Penal Code against the unidentified thieves.

BCB Executive Officer Rana Ramiz Shafqat told Dawn that he had also officially approached the district police officer (DPO) for the registration of a theft case.

In his complaint, Mr Awan said the theft was an attempt to defame Bahawalpur city and the country as well.

Meanwhile, police said they had launched investigation into the theft. The DPO was quoted as saying that Samiullah was Pakistan’s hockey hero and no body could be allowed to dishonour his statue by taking away its component parts and instead police would provide full protection to the statue.

Umar Saleem, the public relations officer (PRO), quoted the DPO as saying that the culprits would be arrested soon and nobody would be allowed to vandalise the national hero’s statue.

Meanwhile, the PRO said the DPO, on the complaint of a teacher, Ms Saima Kashif, got recovered her Rs100,000 arrears from a private college. The college management had terminated her services without paying her dues.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2021