A Pakistani electrician is filing charges against a client who refused to pay their bill and instead unleashed a pet lion on him.
The Khaleej Times reports that Mohammad Rafique was hired to do a project for the Sada-e-Imam Hussain congregation hall in Lahore. After he finished the job, Rafique went to caretaker Ali Raza for payment.
He did not have the money on hand, so Rafique agreed to come back another day. However, after being put off multiple times, the electrician became frustrated and confronted Raza on September 9.
Instead of paying his bill, Raza unleashed the lion that he kept as a pet. The big cat attacked Rafique, biting and pawing at him as he was helpless to resist.
Neither Raza or three other men on the scene made any effort to help him, Rafique alleges. He says that it was only when bystanders heard his screams and cries and came to investigate that Raza got the lion under control.
According to Gulf News, police say the lion “wounded his face and arm.”
Astoundingly, Rafique returned to try again to collect, this time for his back pay and his injuries. When Raza stonewalled, Rafique eventually went to the police. Raza is now in custody, charged with “voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.”
I’ve reported on a lot of employers doing some truly awful things. But releasing a lion to attack someone instead of paying them? That is flat out horrendous. And a worthy international nominee for the Worst Employer of 2019.