DADU: Police and personnel of law-enforcement agencies arrested 28 people in Jamshoro and Dadu districts on Friday and lodged FIRs against them for violation of lockdown measures.

Sehwan police arrested 10 people and lodged an FIR against them under Section 269, 188 PPC. Police in Dadu held 10 people and eight in Johi, Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah. Most of the arrested people were released within a few hours on personal bonds.

Personnel of police and Rangers patrolled the streets and stood guard outside mosques during the time of Friday prayers.

Cheating Ehsaas Kafalat agents held

Police launched crackdown against agents who were fleecing poor beneficiaries of federal support programme at Ehsaas Kafalat centres and deducting Rs500 to 2,000 from Rs12,000 released to their accounts.

Sehwan police lodged FIR against two retailers of Kafalat centre for deducting Rs500 each from poor women’s accounts.

Earlier, Mehar police arrested five agents at a Ehsaas Kafalat centre for deducting Rs1,000 to 2,000 from the beneficiaries’ amount and lodged an FIR against them under Sections 420 and 460 PPC.

Dadu SSP Dr Farrukh Raza Malik said that district administration had received complaints that agent mafia were cheating the poor beneficiaries in Mehar and Johi towns. Hence, he said, FIR was lodged against five people at Mehar police station after they were arrested and investigation was under way against the swindlers in Johi.

‘Coronavirus patient’s video misleading’

Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner retired captain Fareeduddin Mustafa has said that the video of a 12-year-old Covid-19 patient admitted to isolation ward at Institute of Chest Diseases in Kotri were recorded by a male nurse who did not want to serve at the centre.

He said the DHO had terminated services of the nurse for irresponsible behaviour and making a misleading video as the reality was different from what was shown in the clip.

He said that the young patient felt lonely at the centre and did not want to stay without her parents. “We called her parents and provided them separate room after taking their samples for test. The video was made as the patient ran out of the ward and tried to meet her mother,” he said.

He said the staff immediately distanced her from her mother. Her parents tried to comfort her from window but the child would not live alone without parents, he said.

SUKKUR: A group of people held a demonstration in front of press club on Friday against the administration’s failure to provide them ration.

The protesters led by Ali Nawaz Mazari, Nazeer Soomro, Raees Allah Bux and others told reporters that they were deprived of ration by the union committee chairman and councillor who were distributing ration among their favourites only.

Meanwhile, a complete lockdown was observed in Jacobabad town and the administration sealed all roads with barbed wires.

All filling stations, grocery and milk shops remained completely closed between 12 noon to 3pm and police personnel were deployed outside mosques.

MIRPURKHAS: More than a dozen disabled persons held a demonstration against the administration for depriving them of ration bags.

The protesters’ leader Mohammad Hashim told media persons that they and their families were facing starvation in lockdown, yet still they were deprived of ration bags.

He appealed to the government and philanthropists to come to their rescue and ensure they received ration bags.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2020