Bahawalpur Police, in a tweet, clarified that the statue of hockey legend Samiullah Khan is intact, stating that the police checked it after rumours started circulating on social media about its hockey stick, ball getting stolen again.
بہاولپور میں سمیع اللہ خان کے مجسمے سے دوبارہ ہاکی چوری ہونے کی خبر پر پولیس نے موقع پر پہنچ کر چیک کیا مجسمہ اس وقت اپنی اصل حالت میں ہاکی اور گیند کے ساتھ نصب ہے۔#BahawalpurPolice @mmasief @aliimranabbasi @prorpobwp @OfficialDPRPP
— Bahawalpur Police (@prodpobwp) July 24, 2021
@kamran1957 @IGP_Punjab pic.twitter.com/48ocyWF1rz
A video on social media shows that the hockey stick and ball were missing, again.
ہاکی اور گیند ایک مرتبہ پھر غائب
— Athar MALICK (@malick_athar) July 24, 2021
لو کر لو بات….! @iamqadirkhawaja @mirzaiqbal80 @Shoaib_Jatt @UbaidAwan @ejazwasim @ArfaSays_ @ahmersatti90 pic.twitter.com/owmzhJFN8B
Prior to this, the police arrested a suspect for stealing the items from the statue. The theft occurred less than two weeks after the statue of hockey player Samiullah was set up at a crossing to honour him.
However, after that incident, the administration restored the statue to its original condition.
Khan, now 69, is a former and veteran hockey player. He made Pakistan proud at the international level, winning a bronze medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in Asian Games 1978, 1982.