Man sets himself on fire to avoid interrogation
FAISALABAD:
A young man imprisoned in Faisalabad Peoples Colony police station tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire as a result of police torture.
Muhammad Naeem was charged with the kidnapping of 15-year-old Waqas Sarfaraz Ahmed.
On May 31, 2010, the People’s Colony police apprehended Naeem from the house of the kidnapped boy as he was coming to collect his ransom money amounting to Rs400,000.
“There were over four kidnappers who had contacted us on the phone for two days, Naeem was one of them,” said Sarfaraz, the boy’s father. “They told us that they would come by at five o’ clock in the evening and collect the money. The kidnappers said that we should arrange for the money as soon as possible if we wanted Waqas to live,” he added.
When Naeem came to claim the money, police officials nabbed him and took him to the police station where they kept him for two days. Naeem refused to give the police the whereabouts of his accomplices or confirm whether Waqas was still alive.
The police allegedly tied Naeem and beat him with sticks. However, on June 1, 2010 when the prisoners sat down for their meal the power went out and they were provided with candles.
Naeem set his clothes on fire using the candle and sustained third degree burns. He was later shifted to the Allied hospital.
Hospital officials declared Naeem’s condition to be stable adding that he had sustained third degree burns to his chest, hands and legs. “I would much rather kill myself than return to the police station and go through that torture,” Naeem said.
He said that the police had beaten him brutally and had pressed cigarettes into his body and poked him with spokes.
Madina Town superintendent police (SP) Sadiq Ali Dogar said that the accused was not tortured. “We did beat him because he would not give away the location of his accomplices and we feared for the life of the young boy.”
Dogar said that Naeem was exaggerating. “He set himself on fire, because he did not want to give away the location of his accomplices and he knew that he would have been transferred to the hospital,” Dogar said.
The abduction case against Naeem was lodged by Sarfaraz. Police has also filed an FIR against Naeem for trying to commit suicide. Naeem insists that the police are trying to wrangle a false confession from him and that he has not kidnapped the boy.
“If he hasn’t kidnapped the boy, then why was he collecting the ransom money,” said Dogar. “Naeem is simply trying to delay prosecution,” he added.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2010.
A young man imprisoned in Faisalabad Peoples Colony police station tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire as a result of police torture.
Muhammad Naeem was charged with the kidnapping of 15-year-old Waqas Sarfaraz Ahmed.
On May 31, 2010, the People’s Colony police apprehended Naeem from the house of the kidnapped boy as he was coming to collect his ransom money amounting to Rs400,000.
“There were over four kidnappers who had contacted us on the phone for two days, Naeem was one of them,” said Sarfaraz, the boy’s father. “They told us that they would come by at five o’ clock in the evening and collect the money. The kidnappers said that we should arrange for the money as soon as possible if we wanted Waqas to live,” he added.
When Naeem came to claim the money, police officials nabbed him and took him to the police station where they kept him for two days. Naeem refused to give the police the whereabouts of his accomplices or confirm whether Waqas was still alive.
The police allegedly tied Naeem and beat him with sticks. However, on June 1, 2010 when the prisoners sat down for their meal the power went out and they were provided with candles.
Naeem set his clothes on fire using the candle and sustained third degree burns. He was later shifted to the Allied hospital.
Hospital officials declared Naeem’s condition to be stable adding that he had sustained third degree burns to his chest, hands and legs. “I would much rather kill myself than return to the police station and go through that torture,” Naeem said.
He said that the police had beaten him brutally and had pressed cigarettes into his body and poked him with spokes.
Madina Town superintendent police (SP) Sadiq Ali Dogar said that the accused was not tortured. “We did beat him because he would not give away the location of his accomplices and we feared for the life of the young boy.”
Dogar said that Naeem was exaggerating. “He set himself on fire, because he did not want to give away the location of his accomplices and he knew that he would have been transferred to the hospital,” Dogar said.
The abduction case against Naeem was lodged by Sarfaraz. Police has also filed an FIR against Naeem for trying to commit suicide. Naeem insists that the police are trying to wrangle a false confession from him and that he has not kidnapped the boy.
“If he hasn’t kidnapped the boy, then why was he collecting the ransom money,” said Dogar. “Naeem is simply trying to delay prosecution,” he added.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2010.