BAHAWALNAGAR: The district police arrested a TikToker on Thursday for allegedly posting hate speech and sectarian material on social media.

A case was filed under sections 188 and 295A of the Pakistan Penal Code, 16 of the MPO, and the Peca Act.

The first information report, registered with the Takhat Mahal police on the complaint of SI Qasim, alleged that Abid Fayyaz, a resident of Qasimka village, posted abusive content on his TikTok account about a particular community and targeted a specific sect in connection with Muharram on June 2.

It said by sharing the video on social media, the person not only hurt the locals and people of other schools of thought, but also tried to fan sectarianism in the area.

Takhat Mahal Station House Officer Sajjad Ahmad told Dawn that the TikToker had been arrested and handed over to FIA for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the district police also organised a flag march led by the DPO and the DC to maintain peace and order during Muharram.

Police, Elite Force, Rescue 1122, the district administration, and Rangers participated in the flag march.

On this occasion, the DPO said the purpose of the flag march was to convey the message that the police, along with other agencies, were prepared to cope with any eventuality. He urged the public to support the Punjab police in maintaining peace and order.

COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY: The B-Division police arrested two suspects with counterfeit currency notes worth Rs190,000 during a search operation in Chishtian here on Thursday.

Police officials said during patrolling at Purani Chishtian, they held two bikers identified as Muhammad Zahid Pathan and Mohammad Zeeshan, residents of Manzoorabad of tehsil Hasilpur, and recovered fake currency notes from their custody when they tried to flee after seeing the police party.

Police alleged that during the search, a sum of Rs190,000 was found in the pockets of the suspects in the form of 31 notes of Rs5,000 denomination, two of which had identical serial numbers. All the currency turned out to be counterfeit, when the notes were checked again due to suspicion, they claimed.

A police spokesperson said the suspects were booked under section 489B of the PPC, and the investigation was ongoing.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2025