Ex-cop presented before ATC for physical remand

Abid Boxer's wife had filed petition for her husband's recovery

LAHORE:

In a series of unexpected events, former inspector Abid Boxer, notorious for his involvement in police encounters, was presented before an anti-terrorism court by a CIA police team on Thursday, seeking his physical remand.

Boxer's wife, Fatima Abid, filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday, requesting her husband's recovery.

Following this, the court summoned the Lahore CCPO and instructed him to appear before the court and submit a report.

Read: Police unit denies custody of ex-cop

On the same day, DIG Organized Crime Unit (OCU) Liaqat Ali Malik had publicly denied that Boxer was in the custody of the OCU, popularly known as the CIA.

He stated that anyone with information regarding Boxer's whereabouts with the CIA police could access him through a bailiff.

Surprisingly, news emerged later that night that Abid Boxer had been arrested by an OCU team in Kasur.

He was subsequently produced before an anti-terrorism court the following morning. Police argued that they required a 14-day physical remand for Boxer, as he was accused of snatching a police rifle and fleeing from custody. A case had been registered against him in this regard.

Read more: Abid Boxer booked for obstructing arrest of ‘fugitives’ hiding in his home

The court, after hearing the arguments, granted seven-day physical remand and issued orders for his presentation in court on October 26.

A few days prior, a police team had conducted a raid at Abid Boxer's residence, acting on information that he was a proclaimed offender. During the raid, Boxer reportedly resisted arrest alongside his guards and fled after snatching a rifle.

However, Boxer's wife, while speaking to the media, claimed that over 60 police officers, led by DSP Rashid Amin Butt (whom Abid had previously nominated in an FIR for firing at his house), DSP Majid (the husband of actress Nargis), and DSP CIA Iqbal Town Muhammad Ali Butt, had conducted the raid at her house.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2023.