‘Please don’t steal, instead put up scanner’: Farmers’ appeal to motor thieves wakes up cops

Bathinda: Fed up with motor thefts, residents of Pakhi Kalan village in Faridkot decided to fight crime with sarcasm and a QR-code twist.With nearly 25 agriculture motors stolen over the past few months, villagers put up a banner that was addressed directly to the thieves. It read: "With folded hands, we request you not to steal motors during paddy season when we need water the most. If you must, put up a scanner—we'll pool in money and transfer it to your account. Clearly, neither the govt nor the police have any control over you." The tongue-in-cheek appeal, meant as much for the authorities as for the thieves, quickly became the talk of the area. "We hoped to shame the culprits and wake up the system," said villager Simarjit Singh, adding that repeated thefts had left farmers exasperated. Notably, the quirky protest appeared to have worked. Late on Thursday, police arrested two suspects who allegedly confessed to stealing motors from multiple villages, including Pakhi Kalan. Tools used to dismantle motors, along with cables and equipment, were also seized. The accused, identified as Gurpreet Singh of Araianwala Kalan and Simranjit Singh of Sandhwan, are now facing charges at Kotkapura Sadar police station. Kotkapura DSP Sanjeev Kumar said, "A case has been registered against the duo, who have confessed to thefts at several villages in Faridkot, Moga and Muktsar districts, including Pakhi Kalan village." DSP Sanjeev Kumar said the arrests were part of a crackdown on anti-social elements, though he claimed no knowledge of the viral banner put up by the farmers.Pic: Farmers claimed they were forced to put up the banner as 25 motors had been stolen in the past few months