HYDERABAD: A truck loaded with 400 ration bags meant for distribution among daily-wagers at Niaz Stadium was hijacked by a group of armed men and then looted by a mob in a locality within the jurisdiction of Hussainabad police station on Sunday.

In a similar incident at Latifabad Unit-7 flyover on March 30 people looted relief bags from vehicles before the start of the programme for distribution among needy people.

“We were neither informed by district administration nor by the contractor about transportation of the relief bags today,” said SSP Adeel Hussain Chandio. It was learnt that even Rangers were not in the loop about the ration bags’ transportation today.

Around 400 bags worth around Rs650,000 were loaded with ration bags at a factory of the contractor Mehmood Rajput and it was to be supplied to district administration for distribution at Niaz Stadium.

Qasimabad municipal committee chairman Kashif Shoro said that he was not aware of the distribution programme which was to be handled by assistant commissioner.

According to the contractor, the truck left his factory for Niaz Stadium and his son Osama Rajput and accountant followed the vehicle. “Somehow my son crossed vehicle and reached the stadium and when he contacted the driver he was told the driver had been taken to Hussainabad area after some youth overpowered him at gunpoint,” he said.

He said that since the driver was new to Hyderabad he sent his son and accountant with him to guide him. “When my son reached there the miscreants misbehaved with him and snatched his mobile. But my accountant scuffled with miscreants and got it back,” he said.

He said the driver had told him that gunmen had said the ration bags were to be distributed in their union committee. “After hijacking the vehicle to Hussainabad one of them shouted to invite people. Some men and women who were already present there attacked the vehicle and grabbed whatever they could,” he claimed.

The vehicle was intercepted on Autobahn road and taken towards left bank of Indus dyke where the mob took away the ration bags. No FIR had so far been lodged.

“I have asked DSP and Hussainabad police station SHO to look into the incident and find out who is responsible for it,” said the SSP.

Hyderabad commissioner Abbas Baloch said that normally no security was required for but in the changed situation extra care would have to be taken to make sure there was not any repeat of the incident.

He explained that eligibility of deserving people was determined in each district by government and every district would be provided ration supplies for distribution among the needy.

On March 30, a well organised programme for distribution of ration by a charity was disrupted at Latifabad Unit-7 flyover. A mob looted goods from another vehicle that reached the area.

The security that had been committed for the programme was withdrawn abruptly and then it was free for all, leaving organisers helpless, according to Zakir Umer, the charity’s local representative. He said that ration was looted from another vehicle and he did not know how that vehicle entered the scene.

SUKKUR: An unruly mob looted ration bags meant for distribution among the poor in Khanpur Mahar town of Ghotki district on Sunday.

As mukhtiarkar Yasin Shaikh brought ration bags to the town amid police security and local councilors, a group of miscreants suddenly attacked them and tried to snatch the bags. It led to a melee and all the people present there took part in the plunder, taking away all the bags.

Police and other people around the mukhtiarkar barely managed to save the official from the mob.

DADU: Distribution of relief bags among the poor in Jamshoro district ran into snags on Sunday after PPP MNA Sikandar Ali Rahpoto and Jamshoro deputy commissioner Fareeduddin Mustafa reportedly developed differences over the issue.

Sources said that Rahpoto complained to chief minister on Sunday against the DC and said that he had given the official a list of 4,500 poor families but the DC had sent only 2,000 bags and those too with food items of substandard quality.

The MNA told reporters that he had himself checked the quality of the ration.

The DC said that the 2000 ration bags were sent mistakenly to the MNA and now all the bags would be provided according to the list. He denied reports of differences with the MNA.

MIRPURKHAS: Local government representatives have reportedly refused to receive the ration bags prepared by the district administration for distribution among the deserving families affected by lockdown.

Sources said that Sindh government had released Rs20 million for the ration bags but the amount proved insufficient for the large number of deserving families on the lists.

The sources said that the elected representatives rejected the insufficient number of ration bags and asked for preparing new bags.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2020