BAHAWALPUR: The Multan police arrested two private boatmen for overcharging the flood affected people during their evacuation from their homes to safer places in the Khan Bela of the Jalalpur Pirwala area.

Some videos went viral on social media while private TV channels also aired special transmissions in which the flood victims had protested against overcharging during their evacuation as well as the government officials’ apathy in their relief and rescue work.

Some TV reporters had also accused some boatmen of charging even Rs100,000 to Rs500,000 for shifting the body of a flood victim.

The Multan police swung into action following flood victims’ complaints.

SSP Multan Dr Khadeja Umar took action on the complaints of overcharging by the private boatmen at Khan Bela road and Jalalpur Pirwala arrested Allah Wasya and Majid and seized their boats.

ENCOUNTER: The CCD team in Multan arrested an injured robbery suspect involved in over 50 criminal cases registered with various police stations after an encounter near Sawanwali Pul.

According to the CCD, when two motorcyclists appeared on the scene, the patrolling CCD team signaled them to stop. Instead of stopping, they allegedly opened fire on the CCD team whose constable Muhammad Sharif also came in firing range but escaped due to his bullet-proof jacket.

The suspect, Salim, suffered injuries with the firing of his accomplice who fled from the scene. The CCD team registered a case against him and launched the hunt for his arrest in the area.

In another case, Shah Shams police in Multan arrested one Adnan, an accomplice of a nominated proclaimed offender and rapist, on the charges of helping him to evade arrest.

According to Shah Shams police, when a team reached to arrest the PO, Adnan warned him and helped him flee from the scene. Police arrested Adnan and registered a case against him.

DROWNS: A teenage boy drowned in the floodwater in the fields at Adam Wahan on Munshiwala Road, Lodhran.

According to media coordinator Muhammad Safdar of Rescue 1122 Lodhran, Abdul Rehman (14) was walking through the accumulated rainwater when his hand slipped from his mother’s. As a result, he drowned.

The rescuers retrieved his body after three hours’ efforts in the deep floodwater and handed it over to his family.

HEALTH WORKERS: A division bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) in Multan dismissed the intra-court appeal (ICA) of the district health authority (DHA) Multan and upheld the decision of the single bench on the reinstatement of 700 of its sacked/temporary employees and regularization of their job.

Earlier, the single bench of the LHC had accepted the plea of the workers to regularise them and the health department had challenged it.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2025