CHINIOT: Adopting a novel way to steal rice bags, three brothers allegedly dug a 300-foot-long tunnel from their house to a godown of a broker in around 100 days at Adda Chak No 241-JB Manguana in Bhowana tehsil.

Farooq Tahir, a broker dealing in rice and other agriculture produces of Chak No 223-JB, told the police that he had a godown at Addah Chak No 241 JB, Manguana village.

He said that over a week ago, while he was checking the stock in the godown, he discovered a tunnel beneath its floor.

When he, along with his employees, entered the tunnel and kept moving, they found out that its other end opened in the house of three brothers – Malik Sher, Nadeem Abbas and Rehan – where traces of rice were also found.

On counting, he said, they found 20 bags of rice worth Rs170,000 missing from the godown.

Acting on the complaint, the police took one of the suspects, Nadeem, in custody, who allegedly confessed to have stolen the 20 bags and promised to return the rice.

However, despite passage of more than a week, Nadeem did not return the rice bags.

The broker got registered a case under sections 457 and 380 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at Langrana police station against the three suspects.

The police are conducting raids to arrest the two other suspects.

SUSPECT KILLED: A suspected drug peddler was allegedly killed in the firing by his accomplices during an encounter with a team of the Crime Control Department (CCDS).

As per police, a CCD team headed by Haji Nasrullah Khan was present near Kot Ismail

Bridge on Sargodha Road, when they signaled two suspects riding a motorcycle to stop fro checking. However, the suspects sped away to dodge police.

As the police team chased them, the suspects resorted to firing.

The police retaliated the fire and after a while found a man lying dead on the ground.

The police claimed, he was killed in his accomplice’s firing.

The police also claimed to have recovered 100 grams of ‘ice’ and a 30-bore pistol from the pocket of the dead suspect, who was identified as Javed Iqbal, a resident of Hersa Sheikh village.

The police said Javed had allegedly been involved in a number of drug peddling incidents in the districts Chiniot and Faisalabad.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2026