BAHAWALNAGAR: Khichiwala police have booked 24 persons for allegedly organising a dog fight event and betting on canine fighters, seizing two dogs being used in the illegal callous activity, and the stake money, at Jattanwala village, after a video of the event surfaced on social media.

The first information report (FIR) registered with thepolice on the complaint of Sub-InspectorMuhammad Shabeer stated that the suspects -- Shakeel Ahmed, Naveed Bhatti and Asif, led by Rasheed Bhatti, allegedly organized dog fights in an open area at 202/8R village, and also wagered money on the fights.

On a tip-off, a six-member police party conducted a raid on the event, finding some 24 people involved in the illegal activity, being watched by hundreds of spectators.

The FIR said that on seeing the police, the organisers, the participants and the spectators fled the scene.

Police rapped for making no arrests

The police registered a case against 24 suspects under the Punjab Prevention of Gambling Ordinance 1978, seizing two dogs and a sum of Rs20,000 put at stake.

On the other hand, some social media users criticised the police for being unaware of the illegal event being held in the vicinity of Khichiwala police station, about which everyone in the area knew.

They also wondered why police could not arrest even a single person in the raid that was conducted only in response to massive social media criticism of the illegal activity, and booked just 20 unidentified suspects.

The police sources claim that loudspeakers were also used during the event, but the FIR neither invoked the Sound System Act, nor the Pakistan Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act - 1890.

No police official was available for comments.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2026