SHC chides authorities over failure to arrest absconders, proclaimed offenders

IG orders province-wide action against absconding suspects

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) expressed on Thursday its extreme displeasure over the failure of the relevant federal and provincial authorities to implement the directives given by the Supreme Court (SC) in the Karachi law and order case to track down 120,770 absconders and proclaimed offenders roaming freely in the province.

The court directed the federal and provincial authorities to take steps on a 'war-footing' basis to implement the directives issued by the SC in the Karachi law and order suo motu proceedings to arrest absconders and proclaimed offenders.

The bench directed the authorities to freeze the bank accounts of all the absconders and proclaimed offenders and ensure that their properties are also seized through completion of the legal process.



The bench questioned how terrorism could be eliminated and peace be sustained when such a large number of criminals were at large.

The SHC directed the federal government to extend all-out support to the Sindh police in this regard and ordered the legal AIG to submit fortnightly progress reports to the court.

The bench also ordered the IG to ensure production of witnesses and complainants in courts to ensure effective prosecution in the cases. The legal AIG was directed to present a report containing details of all the witnesses who were killed.



These directives came after the the legal-II AIG filed a report in the court, which stated there were 167,560 absconders and 53,210 proclaimed offenders at large in the province. The report recorded that there were 47,000 absconders in Larkana district alone. It also mentioned that 442 absconders and 191 proclaimed offenders had been arrested in one week.

The report further stated that work on establishing a central data centre was under way, which would also be linked to the database of the Punjab police. For the project, help was needed from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), cellular companies and federal government. However, the report accused NADRA and other authorities of not helping them track down the criminals, despite requests and directives issued by the SC.

The report also mentioned that the Sindh police had signed an agreement with NADRA two years ago to provide information about the criminals but they extended no help except providing details of the family tree of the suspects. The report said police needed complete details of national ID cards, photos, family numbers from NADRA.



Distinctions

There is a distinction between an absconder and a proclaimed offender under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). An absconder is a suspect charged in absentia by the police under Section 512 of the CrPC. The absconder turns into a proclaimed offender after a court orders the initiation of proclamation and property confiscation process under sections 87 and 88 of the CrPC.

IG orders province-wide action

Following the SHC order, Sindh IG Allah Dino Khawaja has ordered the police to initiate province-wide action against all the absconding suspects that have been declared proclaimed offenders by the courts and ensure their arrest.

Chairing a meeting at the Central Police Office on Thursday, IG Khawaja expressed dissatisfaction over the performances of the DIGs and specifically asked the DIG posted in Larkana to take strict measures to curb crime.



He directed the DIGs to make efforts to declare the absconding suspects as proclaimed offenders through the courts. He ordered them to compile a data of all the proclaimed offenders and absconding suspects in the province. The police chief was of the view that with help of the data, the police would penetrate into the communication network of the absconders.

The meeting was attended by all senior police officers of the province with some of them connected through video-conference. IG Khawaja asked the Counter-Terrorism Department and Crime Investigation Agency's chiefs to provide every possible assistance to the operational police to apprehend the absconders.

Meanwhile, the police chief said that in the upcoming budget each police range in the province will be provided with a locator. The resource addition will make the police independent in its operation, who have to seek help from federal law enforcement agencies and military agencies.



IG Khawaja also announced a Rs350,000 reward for the Anti-Car-Lifting Cell (ACLC) team for nabbing a robbers' network who were allegedly involved in bank heists across the country.  According to the police, the network nabbed by the ACLC has committed at least nine bank robberies in Karachi alone.