Court orders action against IO over negligence

Muhammad failed to act against cops booked for falsely implicating a citizen in a case

A local court directed the Karachi AIG and West DIG on Saturday to take strict action against the investigation officer (IO) of a case pertaining to the arrest and framing of a citizen in another case that had been declared fake.

According to the petitioner, the Ittehad Town police had arrested his father in Bahawalpur after falsely booking him for a woman's abduction. The police brought him to Karachi on October 30, he told the court. He claimed the fake case was registered on behalf of a person identified as Imtiaz, whose employees Awais and Anwar had been engaged in a property dispute with the petitioner's family.

The IO, Muhammad Rasheed, has submitted the challan in the fake case even after his suspension, the court was informed.

So far, of the four accused in the case, including Rasheed, Imtiaz, ASI Muneer, Anwar and Shireen, the police have arrested Rasheed and Imtiaz. The other accused are on the run, the court was told.

The court observed that IO Darya Muhammad, who has been assigned the investigation of framing the petitioner's father in a fake case, failed to take action against the accused police officials, showing negligence in the probe against them.

Ordering that Rasheed be sent to jail on judicial remand, the court directed the Karachi police chief and West DIG to take stringent action against Muhammad. Besides, it sought the challan issued to the accused officials and those involved in framing the petitioner's father in the fake case.

Anchorperson murder case

Moreover, the court adjourned the hearing of the case pertaining to the murder of anchorperson Mureed Abbas until November 14 as the judge was on leave.

The South additional district and sessions judge adjourned the hearing at Karachi City Court.

Meanwhile, the police are yet to arrest Adil Zaman, a co-accused in the case and the brother of primary accused Atif Zaman. Adil had fled from the premises of the Supreme Court's Karachi registry after his bail plea was rejected.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2020.