AVLC officials arrested for ‘detaining man for ransom’

SIU, AVCC cops, also operating under CIA DIG, were recently nabbed in similar cases

KARACHI:

Six officials of the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) were arrested for allegedly detaining innocent citizens and demanding ransom for their release, The Express Tribune discovered on Sunday.

Officials from the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) - both of which, along with AVLC, operate under Crime Investigation Agency DIG Arif Hanif - were previously found to be involved in detaining citizens for ransom as well.

The Federal B Area police arrested six AVLC officials for detaining a citizen and demanding Rs100,000 for his release, as well as recovering the abducted citizen from a police van used by the suspects.

The van, said to belong to the Khwaja Ajmer Nagri AVLC unit, was also confiscated.

However, under orders from senior police officials, the police tried to hide the incident, though a case was registered against the six arrested officials on the state's behalf. The case was forwarded to the AVLC in-charge for further investigation.

The AVLC officials reportedly used the van for moving the detained citizen to different locations. It should be noted that the FIR does not mention which official had the use of the confiscated van.

This is the third such case that has emerged about citizens being detained by the CIA's security cells.

An SIU official was recently found to have detained a car showroom owner, demanding ransom for his release.

A case was registered by the Federal B Area police for this incident too, while the accused inspector was arrested.

Prior to that, a case was registered against AVCC officials in the jurisdiction of the Boat Basin police, for allegedly detaining another citizen and demanding ransom for his release.

The earlier cases were sent for inquiry to a three-member committee, headed by Hanif and constituted by Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2020.