SHO held on charges of custodial killing

Five policemen charged with torturing Muhammad Irfan to death

FAISALABAD:

City Tandlianwala police have registered a case against five policemen, including the station house officer, on the murder charge and started investigation after arresting the SHO.

A spokesman said here on Tuesday that City Tandlianwala police had arrested an accused, Muhammad Irfan, in a narcotics case and allegedly tortured him to death.

The police threw his body near Tayyaba Town to hide their crime, and asked a man to call Rescue 15 and inform it about presence of a body.

The rescue police shifted the body to the mortuary of the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital of Tandlianwala for postmortem. Receiving information about the incident, acting City Police Officer (CPO) Abdullah Ahmad directed the SP of Sadar division to probe into the matter and submit a report at the earliest. During initial investigation, SHO Mazharul Haq, head constable Nasir and constables Shahid, Naveed Afzal and Walayat were found guilty of custodial death.

The City Tandlianwala police registered a case against the accused under Sections 302, 342 and 201 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 155-C of the Police Order 2022.

The police also arrested SHO Inspector Mazharul Haq. Further investigation was under progress, the spokesman added.

In November last year, a man, who had returned from Saudi Arabia, was killed allegedly due to torture in the custody of Kot Chattha police in Dera Ghazi Khan.

The then Inspector-General of Police of Punjab, Rao Sardar Ali Khan, had taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the Dera Ghazi Khan regional police officer, while the Kot Chattha Police Station SHO and other personnel suspected of being involved in the case had been suspended.

A case was registered in Kot Chattha Police Station against four nominated people, including the SHO, and unidentified personnel riding in three police vehicles.

The victim had been arrested in the house of his in-laws by the police at night.

He was found dead in the hospital by his relatives in the morning.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2022.