KARACHI: Unidentified suspects stole 25 sacrificial goats worth more than Rs1.9 million from Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area after loading the animals into a mini-truck late at night, police and the owner said on Sunday.

The incident took place between Friday and Saturday night in Block 8-A of Gulistan-e-Jauhar, where the goats had been tied at a plot ahead of Eid ul Adha.

According to police, the suspects arrived at the location on motorcycles and in a car before loading the goats into a mini-truck and escaping from the area.

CCTV footage of the incident has also surfaced, showing the suspects taking away the sacrificial animals.

The owner of the goats, identified as Muhammad Osama Khan, said the stolen animals were worth more than Rs1.9 million and had been brought to Karachi for sale during Eid ul Adha.

A report regarding the theft has been registered at Malir Cantt Police Station.

Police officials said efforts were under way to trace and arrest the suspects with the help of CCTV footage and other videos, while further investigations into the incident continue.

The incident is part of a growing trend of sacrificial animal thefts reported in different cities across Pakistan ahead of Eid ul Adha in recent years.