KARACHI: Pakistani police said on Friday they had killed a top bandit who was famous for his videos on TikTok and had operated for years in the notorious riverine marshlands of the Punjab province.
Shahid Lund had been hiding out in the riverine terrain in Punjab which has long offered refuge to bandits. The 28-year-old used the Internet to enthrall citizens even as he preyed on them, according to police.
On TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, he fascinated tens of thousands with messages delivered with a gun in hand, romanticizing his rural lifestyle and cultivating a reputation as a champion of the people.
The Punjab police said on Friday Lund, who led the Lund gang, one of several groups of bandits in Pakistan’s riverine area, had been killed in a joint operation by the Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur district police.
“The Government of Punjab had placed a bounty of Rs10 million ($35,811) on Shahid Lund,” the Punjab police said in a statement on X. “The deceased bandit was wanted by the police in 28 cases, including killing of policemen, terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, attacks on police, murders and robberies.”
Lund was said to dwell on a sandy island in the riverlands, often called the ‘katcha’ area that roughly translates to ‘backwaters,’ on the Indus River which skewers Pakistan from top to bottom. High-standing crops provide cover for ambushes and the region is riven by shifting seasonal waterways that complicate pursuit over crimes ranging from kidnapping to highway robbery and smuggling.
At the intersection of three of Pakistan’s four provinces, gangs with hundreds of members have for decades capitalized on poor coordination between police forces by flitting across jurisdictions. Sweeping police operations and even an army incursion in 2016 failed to impose law and order. This August, a rocket attack on a police convoy killed 12 officers.
Some bandits use the web to lay “honey-traps” luring kidnap victims by impersonating romantic suitors, business partners and advertising cheap sales of tractors or cars, while others parade hostages in clips for ransom or exhibit arsenals of heavy weapons in musical TikToks. Lund had by far the largest online profile — irking police with a combined 200,000 followers.
The Punjab police chief, Dr. Usman Anwar, lauded the Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur police for the successful operation in the riverlands.
“It is the mission of the police to eliminate terrorists, dacoits and miscreants from the katcha area,” Anwar was quoted as saying by the provincial police.
Pakistan police kill top bandit who used TikTok to terrorize, transfix Punjab’s riverine marshlands
https://arab.news/88tfd
Pakistan police kill top bandit who used TikTok to terrorize, transfix Punjab’s riverine marshlands
- Shahid Lund among bandits using Internet to parade hostages, exhibited arsenals of weapons in musical TikToks
- High-standing crops in Katcha lands along Indus River provide cover for ambushes, kidnappings, highway robberies, smuggling
India favorites as T20 World Cup to begin after Pakistan, Bangladesh controversies
- Bangladesh were replaced by the ICC in this World Cup and Pakistan has refused to face India in group stage clash
- The top two teams from each of the four groups of five teams will advance to the Super Eight stage of the World Cup
NEW DELHI: Cricket’s T20 World Cup begins Saturday after an acrimonious buildup overshadowed by political turmoil, with Bangladesh kicked out and Pakistan refusing to face arch-rivals and co-hosts India.
When the first ball is finally bowled after a chaotic lead-in, Pakistan will open the tournament against the Netherlands in Colombo.
Defending champions and tournament favorites India will make their tournament bow in the night match on day one against the United States in Mumbai, carrying the hopes of a billion-plus home cricket supporters.
Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India will start as firm tournament favorites and are expected to ease into the Super Eight stage from Group A.
But they will be wary of the United States, who are looking to take down another cricketing powerhouse, having shocked Pakistan to make the Super Eights in 2024.
Former champions Australia and England are also strong contenders to lift the trophy and deny holders India the title for a record second straight time.
The 2021 winners Australia have been hit hard by the absence of pace spearhead Pat Cummins, who was ruled out with a lower back injury.
Pace bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss the early stages as he recovers from hamstring and Achilles injuries.
Led by Mitchell Marsh, the Australians should still ease into the next round from Group B against Ireland, who they play first on Wednesday, plus co-hosts Sri Lanka Oman and Zimbabwe.
Harry Brook’s England, full of confidence after a 3-0 T20 series win in Sri Lanka this week, are expected to make the Super Eights from a Group C that also features two-time winners West Indies, debutants Italy, Nepal and Scotland.
Brook, under intense scrutiny after having to apologize for an incident with a night club bouncer in New Zealand last year, takes charge at a global tournament for the first time since he replaced Jos Buttler as white ball captain.
England, who start with a match against Nepal on Sunday in Mumbai, won the tournament in 2010 and 2022.
Scotland, after their 11th-hour call-up to replace Bangladesh, will take guard on the opening day when they face the West Indies in Kolkata.
Football powerhouse Italy will make an appearance at a cricket World Cup for the first time, and will kick off against the Scots in Kolkata on Monday.
South Africa, the runners-up in 2024, have never won a white ball World Cup, but are buoyed by winning the World Test Championship last year.
They will be a threat but must first emerge from a tough-looking Group D that contains dangerous opponents in New Zealand and Afghanistan.
They begin against Canada on Monday in Ahmedabad, with the UAE the other team in that group.
The top two teams from each of the four groups of five teams will advance to the Super Eights, with the top four making the semifinals.
POLITICS, PULLOUTS
There will be relief at the weekend when the action gets under way finally after weeks of political posturing that has dominated the build-up to 10th edition of the showpiece tournament.
Bangladesh refused to play in India, citing security concerns, as relations between the two countries soured and were kicked out by the International Cricket Council (ICC) from England’s Group C.
The ICC is led by Jay Shah, the former Indian cricket board secretary and son of the powerful Indian home minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan, who had backed Bangladesh’s plea to have their games moved to Sri Lanka, were cleared to play by the Islamabad government but they ordered the team not to play the marquee group clash against fierce rivals India on February 15.
According to media reports, the ICC is still waiting formal communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board on the boycott, leaving the door slightly ajar for a last-minute deal to get the game on.
If India are awarded a walkover, Pakistan will lose two points and take a big hit to their net run rate.
If any of their other three Group A games are lost to the weather then it could make it almost impossible for Pakistan to qualify.
Pakistan’s pullout will result in a loss of millions of dollars in revenue for broadcasters, and will be a huge letdown for fans on both sides.
The crisis was triggered last month when India’s cricket board ordered the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, a move that deepened political strains between the neighbors.
The tournament will conclude with the final on March 8 in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan go that far.
