SAHIWAL: After six days of search, Kaboola police in tehsil Arifwala found the body of a farm worker who had gone missing from Chak 105/EB, tehsil Arifwala.

Police said that Shaukat Ali, 24, a resident of Minchinabad, Bahawalnagar, was tortured and killed by his landlord and his three accomplices on suspicion of goat theft.

Shaukat had been working as a farm worker for Bagh Ali. He left for work on April 12 but did not return home at night. His family searched for him at all possible locations and neighbouring villages for three days. On April 17, Shaukat’s elder brother, Qasim Ali, learned from Muhammad Naeem of Chak 81/EB and Muhammad Arshad of village Bhoota that Shaukat had been taken to an unknown location by Bagh Ali and his accomplices on motorcycles on April 12.

When confronted, the landlord denied any knowledge of Shaukat’s whereabouts. The family registered a case with Kaboola police against Bagh Ali, Muhammad Fasil, Abid Ali, Azhar, and three unidentified men, on the complaint of Qasim on April 18.

Kaboola Police SHO Ashiq Abid Mohar told Dawn that police had taken four suspects in custody for interrogation. One suspect confessed that Shaukat was kidnapped for questioning over the alleged theft of Bagh Ali’s goat.

He admitted that Shaukat was tortured with pistol butts and sticks at Bagh Ali’s outhouse and died as a result.

The suspects claimed they wrapped the body in a quilt and buried it at a deserted spot in nearby Chak 105/EB. Police, accompanied by the family, recovered the body and sent it to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital, Arifwala, for a post-mortem. SHO Abid Mohar murder charges would be incorporated into the FIR on reception of medical report.

HONEYBEES: A swarm of honeybees attacked participants in a funeral prayer at village Rang Shah, Arifwala Road, on Sunday morning.

According to reports, villagers had gathered at the graveyard for funeral prayers of one Aqeel when the honeybees attacked the participants and created panic among them.

People ran helter-skelter to escape the bee’s attack. During the chaos, Javed Bhatti, 35, fell from a wall. Locals immediately called Rescue 1122, which reported that his condition was critical. He was shifted to THQ Hospital for treatment.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2026