KARACHI: A Pakistani real estate tycoon on Friday compensated with a significant amount of money the legendary charity worker Abdul Sattar Edhi, who was robbed of millions of rupees in cash and gold last week.
Bahria Town, one of the top builders in Pakistan, handed a 50 million rupees (Dh1.8 million) cheque to Edhi at his head office in Meetha Darr. The chief of the company had condemned the robbery and vowed to try to compensate the losses of the charity that runs the largest network of ambulances in the country.
The robbery last Sunday shocked Edhi who said that even the Taliban had donated money to the charity.
The octogenarian is one of Pakistan’s best-loved figures for his unstinted work in providing ambulance services across the country and running shelters for women, children and the destitute.
He is also renowned for his modest lifestyle and is often spotted personally leading fund-raising drives in bazaars throughout the country despite his age and increasing frailty.
But his reputation was not enough to prevent at least eight armed robbers from threatening him at gunpoint and holding several staff hostage Sunday night as they stole $400,000 in cash as well as five kilogrammes (11 pounds) of gold.
Police said they were examining the possibility of inside help and were hopeful of a breakthrough soon.
Sources said that the police were focusing on one Edhi employee who had deleted the call record on his cell phone after the robbery was committed.
