Earrings snatcher confesses tearing women's earlobes.

BAHAWALNAGAR -- A serial earring snatcher has confessed to ripping the earlobes of more than a dozen elderly women while snatching their gold earrings over the course of three weeks, says Rao Atir Zeeshan, a patrolling police official.

In the recent three weeks, earring theft incidents have increased inside the Sadar police's jurisdiction, he told Dawn. The events occurred in broad daylight and involved a motorcyclist picking out elderly women on the streets or taking them to a desolate location while posing as a representative of the Benazir Income Support Program.

The lobes of 65-year-old Anwari Bibi's ears were severed on March 19. After taking her gold earrings, a motorcycle thief fled, but was stopped by a four-person squad. The suspect was identified as Bakhtiyar from Pakpattan. He revealed that he was released from jail about 20 days ago and since then he had been targeting elderly women every day. After hearing the news of the biker's arrest, Asia, Gulzaran, Anwar Begum, and Naseem Bibi, all with wounded earlobes, visited the Gajyani check post and told...