SAHIWAL: A district council employee was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by a landlord and his five accomplices during a stray dog culling drive at Chak 72/4-R on Saturday.

According to police sources, council worker Fida Hussain was culling stray dogs and had eliminated two animals in the village, when a landlord, Shamoon Jatoi, along with Abid Ali Bhatti, Bilal Baloch, Majid, and two unidentified armed men, confronted him.

Objecting to dog culling, they said it was cruelty and an anti-animal act.

After heated arguments with the employee, they allegedly kidnapped him, took him to their outhouse, locked him in a room, tortured him, and snatched his mobile phone.

Some locals, who witnessed the incident, alerted the police on the 15 emergency helpline.

Responding to the call, a police team conducted a raid on the outhouse, rescued Fida, and arrested three of the suspects, while the remaining fled the scene.

Fateh Sher police registered a case under sections 186, 342, 353, 506, 149, 379, and 148 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of district council Enforcement Inspector Muhammad Ziarat.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2026