'Report of Khan Bahadur Maula Bakhsh, Attaché to the Agent to the Governor General of India and Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General for Khurasan and Sistan, on His Journey from Meshed to Quetta via Turbat-i-Haidari, Kain, Sistan, Kuh-i-Malik Siah and Nushki (7th April to 28th July 1898)' [‎33r] (70/156)

ON HIS JOURNEY FROM MESHED TO QUETTA, 1898.
43
Robbery of 75 camels belonging to certain
Afghans near Murdar Kuh towards the middle of
• December 1897.
55. The Deputy Governor of Neh called
upon me on the day of my arrival there.
I personally delivered to him the Chief of Kain’s letter on the subject of
the robbery of 75 camels and requested him to carry out the orders sent him
by the Chief regarding the recovery of the camels. He sent me a written
reply saying that if the camels in question
See paragraph 43. been stolen in Neh territory, or if the
robbers had been in his district, he would have either handed over the camels
or the robbers to me; but that the robbery had been committed in Kirman
territory, that the robbers were in Kuh-i-Hisaran near Nasratabad and that he
had been informed by Ghulam Khan,
• Mentioned in paragraph 54(/). Nasiri Afghan,* who had recently arrived
from Nasratabad, that the Kirman authorities were taking measures to recover
the camels and punish the robbers.
Prom enquiries made by me independently of the Deputy Governor of
Neb it appears to be beyond doubt that the robbery was committed by
Baluchis from Sarhad at a place called Kalla Mast, about sixteen miles^ north
of Nasratabad in the Narmashir district of Kirman, and that Sarhang Khwaja
Allahi of Narmashir and Habibulla Sultan, the Persian officers in command of
the Persian garrison at Nasratabad and in charge of the Nasratabad and
Sarbad frontier, are at the bottom of this and all other robberies committed
- by Baluchis of these districts, and that they receive a share of the stolen
property.
I have seen and questioned Ghulam Khan, a Nasiri Afghan of Kandahar,
who has just arrived here with a caravan from Bandar Abbas via Nasratabad.
He informs me that three of the owners of 75 stolen camels named Sultan
Muhammad, Muhammad Amin, and Dost Muhammad recently went to
Bampur and complained to the Asaf-ud-Dowleh, Governor-General of Kirman,
who sent Sarhang Khwdja Allahi with them to Sarhad to recover the camels
and to arrest the robbers. When Ghulam Khan passed through Nasratabdd
about a fortnight ago he was told by Habibulla Sultan that the camel-owners
had written from Sarhad asking him to send news to Meshed that Sarhang
Khwaia Allahi. had recovered about 20 camels and was going round among
the Baluchis of Sarhad to trace and recover the rest, that two of the robbers had
been killed at Chah-i-Husain Ali, a place about four farsakhs from Nasratabad,
bv the Deputy Governor of Neb, who had gone with his sowars in pursuit ot
them in connection with another robbery, that four other robbers had escaped
towards Kharan and Chaghi, but that he had arrested their wives and children
and was taking them with Shirdil and Jihl, headmen ot the Sumalzai (Ismailzai)
tribe to Bampur to be dealt with.
Ghulam Khan did not himself see the letter sent by the camel-owners,
hut he says that the news was confirmed by other people at Nasratabad.
1 shall make further enquiries about these camels in Sistiin.
fifi On enquiry here I find that the area liable to inundations is now
under water, and that the road to Sistan
My trip to sistin. being impassable for camels except by
the Sbela, I must go to Kuh-i-Malik Siab direct from here.
I am. therefore, leaving my camel transport and caravan at this place and
proceeding to Sistan with mule transport to try and do what I can in this
matter (in case any of the stolen camels should happen to be on the ^hela)
and other Consular cases which 1 have been instructed to refer, for settlement,
to the Governor of Sistan.
After finishing my work iu Sistan, I shall return to Neh and resume my
jouruey to Kuh*i-Malik Siah.
Saturday, 21st May 1?98.
Aliabad.
57. Alidbdd {village).
Time taken bv horse and mules, doing about 3{-miles an 10111 , 5
hours (4-30 p.m„ 20th, to 12-40 a.m., 21st May 1898).