A major mango theft has rocked the Nawabpur area of Multan, where 150 maunds of mangoes were reportedly stolen in a coordinated nighttime operation, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.
According to the report, the incident took place during the night between June 27 and 28, across four different orchards, raising concerns about agricultural theft in the region.
According to police officials, the value of the stolen mangoes exceeds Rs 900,000. Local residents acted swiftly and managed to catch the prime suspect, identified as Aqib Kalro, red-handed. They immediately handed him over to the police.
Eyewitnesses stated that the DHA Police reached the scene and recovered heaps of stolen mangoes from the site.
However, controversy soon erupted when the police registered an FIR that mentioned only 25 maunds of mangoes as stolen, while the remaining 125 maunds, belonging to three additional complainants, were not accounted for in the official record.
Residents allege that the SHO of DHA Police Station is pressuring the complainants into reaching a settlement, rather than pursuing legal action.
The complainants have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and senior police officials to take urgent notice of the matter.
Furthermore, the victims claim that they are receiving threats from the suspects and have requested police protection for their safety.
Reporter: Ahmar Khan Babar