Police official arrested for demanding bribe

ISLAMABAD: A low-rank police official landed in jail after the man he demanded bribe from called up the inspector general and had the official arrested.

Usman Mehmood, a resident of F-8, told The Express Tribune that a police official stopped him near Metro Cash and Carry in I-11 on Sunday evening and demanded to see his identity.

Mehmood gave him his CNIC but the policeman said that he would take him and his car to the police station unless he paid him Rs20,000.



Mehmood said that he was not carrying that much money in his pocket but could arrange by withdrawing from an ATM.

The official allowed him to go to the nearby ATM.

Once inside the ATM cabin, Mehmood said he dialled the number of the Islamabad inspector general of police and narrated him the incident.

Mehmood said that within no time a police team headed by Sabzi Mandi SHO Mehboob Ahmed arrived and held the police official.

The official was identified as constable Sultan Muhammad of Ramna Police Station.

He was booked under Section 161 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect to an official act), a bailable offence under the Pakistan Penal Code.

The suspect was presented before a magistrate on Monday and was sent on 14-day judicial remand.

The complainant refused to comment when asked why he was demanded the bribe.

Though Mehmood was fortunate to have the inspector general’s number and get a positive response, everybody is not so lucky.



A slum-dweller on Sunday told The Express Tribune that he had to pay Rs2,000 to a policeman just to see an SHO and Rs10,000 to another police official to convince him to visit his settlement and get it vacated from the occupation of another man.

“The issue has not been resolved, neither has an FIR been registered,” said the slum-dweller and requested anonymity for himself and refusing to name the police officials, fearing a backlash.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2016.