A magistrate in Shahdadpur has remanded six suspects into police custody for their alleged involvement in the mutilation of a camel in Mund Jamrao village, Sanghar district, earlier this week.

On Sunday, the suspects were presented before the duty magistrate, Asif Sial, who remanded them to police custody for four days, instead of the requested 14 days, to facilitate further investigation and the search for the weapon used in the incident.

A landlord purportedly chopped off the camel’s right leg as a form of punishment for the animal foraging into his field in search of fodder on Friday. The victim of the incident was a poor peasant named Soomar Behan, who owns the camel.

Despite the widespread circulation of the news on social media, the peasant initially refused to identify the culprit and press charges. Consequently, the police lodged an FIR on behalf of the state against six unknown persons, invoking sections 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

When the police attempted to arrest the six suspects on Saturday, they allegedly resisted and attacked the officers, leading to the registration of another FIR under sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the PPC.

In a post on X, PPP minister Shazia Marri said that suspects had been arrested and the injured camel had been transported to the Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) animal shelter in Karachi.

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In a Facebook post, the CDRS said that the team had a discussion with Hassan from Dubai’s camel prosthetics and another member was communicating with Four Paws.

The institution added that they would keep the camel relaxed and pain-free in the first 10 days. It is also working on a harness to help her stand as experts did for the Karachi Zoo elephant Noor Jehan.