Police raid Rao Anwar’s Islamabad house but fail to find him

Police scheduled to submit their reply in the apex court today

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s three-day deadline to arrest the Sindh police former SSP Rao Anwar ended on Tuesday.

However, the Sindh police failed to find out the whereabouts of the notorious policeman who is wanted in a case of abduction and murder of a tribal youth in Karachi.

The apex court on Saturday ordered Sindh’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Allah Dino Khawaja to arrest Anwar for the allegedly killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud on January 13 and to present him before the court in three days.

The Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar passed this order after a join investigation team (JIT) formed to probe into the incident declared that the so-called encounter in which Naqeeb was killed along with three other people was ‘staged’.

In a desperate attempt to arrest the former SPP, the Sindh Police on Tuesday raided a house in Islamabad’s Sector F-10/4 together with officials of Islamabad Police. However, the house, which reportedly belongs to the absconding SSP’s wife, was found empty and locked.
“The raid was carried out in the afternoon. However, the house was found locked and had no occupant,” a police officer told The Express Tribune.

The raiding officials also put on display a notice at the entrance of the house. It says Rao Anwar is absconding and is wanted by the police in connection with a murder, kidnapping and terrorism case registered against him at Karachi’s Sachal police station.

The notice has invited the public to share any information or clue regarding Rao Anwar with the SSP Investigation Malir Abid Hussain Qaimkhani. The police are scheduled to submit their reply in the apex court today [Wednesday].

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the provincial government has constituted an inquiry committee to probe allegations against Rao Anwar.

After the committee presented its report, the government took action on its recommendations in true letter and spirit, he added.
Responding to a question, the CM said he did not know where Anwar was hiding.
However, he remarked: “No accused is more powerful than the law.”
The police are working hard to arrest Anwar and all other provincial governments and agencies had been requested to help in his arrest, Shah said.

*Additional details provided by our correspondent in Karachi