Man running from pillar to post for justice

The complainant says due to the sluggish and lethargic attitude of the IO, no progress is made in the case

LAHORE: A labourer who was deprived of all the savings of his life by thieves in Millat Park police jurisdiction, is forced to continuously visit his area police station to get justice but all in vain.

While talking to The Express Tribune, he complained about misbehaviour, indifference and sluggish attitude of Investigation Officer ASI Asif Butt. Muhammad Usman, a resident of Ichra area, in his complaint FIR 335/17, said on July 27 he locked his house and went to his in-laws who lived in the same neighbourhood to spend night as his rented house was too congested and hot during summer.



The next morning when he returned, he found out that some thieves had barged into his house and made away with golden ornaments, cash worth Rs25,000 and other valuables. He informed police about the incident and a case was registered in this regard.



The victim complained that he had been deprived of what he had been able to earn and save all his life. The investigation officer ASI Asif Butt had done nothing so far to arrest the suspects. The complainant said instead of arresting the suspects, the IO was creating nuisance for him and his family. Usman said he had informed the IO about the suspects who were history-sheeters in theft cases and lived in the same neighbourhood.

“Whenever I call Butt, he has always an excuse ready to delay the matter further. He (Butt) would call me to the police station every other day, but always makes different excuses such as he had no vehicle, he was going to attend a meeting or just had returned after attending a meeting,” the complainant said. He requested Inspector General of Punjab Police Arif Nawaz to take notice of the incident.

Investigation Officer Asif Butt, when contacted, responded in a very casual tone that “there was no development in the case.”



A total of 65 cases of crime against property have been reported in Millat Park police station so far in 2017.

The cases included 17 cases of robberies, three car-lifting, 31 motorcycle-lifting and 14 incidents of burglaries. Efforts were made to contact Incharge Investigation Millat Park Abid Hussain to ask how many of the cases had been solved but he could not be reached.

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An officer of investigations police said there was no change or improvement in day-to-day working or ‘culture’ of investigations wing of Lahore Police as the information technology initiatives were used only for high-profile cases.

He said the wing was still following the same old practices in which police waited till a suspect would be caught by chance and police would implicate him in many other cases. On ground level, investigation officers never use IT initiatives for detection of cases relating to common men.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2017.