NEW DELHI: A man was arrested after masked theives burgled the home of England Test captain Ben Stokes when he was on tour with the team in Pakistan, according to Sky Sports.
Earlier this week, Stokes took to X and revealed that his Durham home was burgled while he was with the national side on a Test series tour to Pakistan. He also urged the people to help him out with recovery of his valuable items and in catching the thieves.
Stokes’s wife, Clare and his two children were at home at the time of the burglary, which the England skipper said was carried out by “a number of masked men” and left an “impact on the emotional and mental state” of his family. ‘
Among the “irreplaceable” items stolen was Stokes’ OBE medal, awarded to him in early 2020 following his fantastic performances in England’s maiden 50-over World Cup triumph in 2019 and the Ashes series after that. He also thanked the police for supporting his family well while he was in Pakistan.
Stokes took to Instagram and wrote, “APPEAL On the evening of Thursday 17th October a number of masked people burgled my home in the Castle Eden area in the North East. They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and a good deal of personal items. Many of those items have real sentimental value for me and my family. They are irreplaceable.”
“This is an appeal for any help in finding these people who carried out this act. By far the worst thing about this crime is that it was carried out whilst my wife and 2 young children were in the house. Thankfully, none of my family came to any physical harm. Understandably, however, the experience has had an impact on their emotional and mental state. All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been.”
“I am releasing photographs of some of the stolen items – which I hope may be easily identified – in the hope that we can find the people who are responsible for this. Although we have lost cherished possessions, to be clear, my sole motivation in sharing these photographs is not the recovery of material items. It is to catch the people who did this. Please come forward and contact Durham Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference CRI00575927 if you think that you have any relevant information.”
“Finally, I want to say thank you to the police service. Both now and whilst I was away in Pakistan, their support for my family has been outstanding. they continue to work incredibly hard in trying to find these people,” he concluded.
After the burglary, a statement from Durham Constabulary, as quoted by Sky Sports, said: “Officers are appealing for information following a burglary of a cricketer’s home in Castle Eden. Police were called following the incident on Thursday, October 17, when the burglars are believed to have broken into the home occupied by Ben Stokes’ wife and children while he was in Pakistan.”
“The family were not harmed but the thieves got away with several items including jewellery and other valuables, many of which were sentimental. An investigation is ongoing and the family have released images of some of the stolen items in the hope it will aid investigators. If you have any information, call 101 quoting incident reference number 543 of October 17 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111,” the statement added.
In the Pakistan tour, England endured a 2-1 series defeat. The vistiors won the opening Test which Stokes missed due to a hamstring injury. England then went on to lose back-to-back Tests and eneded up losing the series. (ANI)