Gunmen have stolen more than 200 outfits made for the customers of a Pakistani tailor for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.
“Muhammad Razzaq said two armed men barged into his store in the capital, Islamabad, tied up and beat his staff, before making off with 240 completed or near-finished traditional shalwar kameez outfits,” the report said.
He said: “The police have not been able to find any clue to the ruthless guys who turned this Eid into a nightmare for me.”
The outfits were worth more than 720,000 rupees (£7,497), he said.
Muslims around the world, usually celebrate Eid al-Fitr wearing new outfits and jewellery – with some splashing out thousands on glitzy ensembles. Even those people with less money try to buy something new for the holiday, and tailor-made outfits are often cheaper than shop-bought clothes.
Eid is expected to begin on either Monday or Tuesday, depending on the sighting of the new moon.
Most of the shelves in Razzaq’s shop were empty on Friday. “I have been working in the area for the last 20 years and have customers who come to me from posh areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with branded and expensive fabrics,” he said.
Salman Ashraf, one of the tailors tied up during the raid, said the robbers were very aggressive. “The gunmen thrashed us, tied us with ropes and asked us to remain silent,” he said.
Police confirmed they were investigating the robbery.
