[Animals] Pakistan sees rise in stealing of sacrificial animals ahead of Eid ul-Adha

[NANO]

Ahead of Eid ul-Adha celebrations, Pakistan is witnessing a sharp rise in cases of sacrificial animals' theft in some cities including Karachi. In the last few months, cases have come to light where criminals have targeted people carrying sacrificial animals worth thousands and lakhs of rupees. In the first five months of 2023, street crimes in Karachi jumped sharply, with at least 46 people killed while resisting robberies in over 3,000 reported incidents, according to the Sindh Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

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On Sunday, Pakistan-based GeoTV reported that a thief stole a sacrificial goat from a moving car in Quetta. According to the report, the animal was probably being taken to a Maweshi Mandi or someone had bought it and was taking it to their home. In the CCTV footage shared by the news outlet, a man could be seen getting into the moving car and stealing the goat. The man jumped and took the animal into his arms. He then sat on a motorcycle with an accomplice and they both escaped.

GeoTV said incidents like these were now very common in Pakistan "as thieves steal the animals and sell them later on". The report further said that as the country is hit by high inflation, people are finding it very difficult to buy an animal to sacrifice on Eid ul Adha. Pakistan has been in the middle of a crisis due to a dollar shortage, high debts, low growth, and skyrocketing inflation. In May, Pakistan's inflation soared to 38 per cent, the highest in Asia.

An incident of animal theft was reported in Karachi on Monday. An unidentified man stole a sacrificial cow within seconds in Karachi, ARY News reported on Monday. The stealing of a sacrificial cow in Ancholi in Karachi's Federal B Area was caught on CCTV camera. According to the report, the man got out of an expensive car in the street to steal the cow.

According to ARY News, more than 60 sacrificial animals were stolen and snatched in the last few days in Karachi ahead of Eidul Azha. In North Karachi, the report said, 40 goats were stolen from an empty plot. In Karachi's Yaseenabad area, thieves broke the shutter of a shop and stole two goats, and a cow was stolen from an apartment near Frere police station.

https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/story/pakistan-sees-rise-in-stealing-of-sacrificial-animals-ahead-of-eid-ul-adha-387295-2023-06-27