Sindh police personnel arrested for extorting cricketer

SHO and head clerk of police station suspended

KARACHI:

At least four police personnel were arrested for allegedly extorting cricketer Sohaib Maqsood in the Sakrand area of Sindh on the directives of Sindh Inspector General Raffat Raja.

On Monday night, Maqsood took to X (formerly Twitter) and said that he was stopped by the police while travelling from Karachi to Multan by road and was extorted by Sindh Police officials. 

He further wrote that the provincial police is "so corrupt" and that he is “so lucky” to live in Punjab.

We are so lucky that we live In Punjab not in Sindh first time in my life I am travelling from Karachi to Multan by Road and sindh police is so corrupt that they stop you after 50 km and ask for money or they threat you to go to the police station for no reason if you give them

— Sohaib Maqsood (@sohaibcricketer) November 27, 2023

According to a statement from Sindh Police, four policemen of Sakrand were found involved in the incident. The police spokesperson said that legal action is being taken against them and that a First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged.

The station head officer (SHO) of the police station and the chief clerk have also been suspended for negligence, the press statement further added.

The cricketer also claimed in the post that despite informing the police officials that “we are international cricketers travelling to Multan after a match in Karachi”, the police officials still extorted Rs8,000 from them.

money then they will stop you again after 50 km and ask for money again corruption at it’s peak in sindh police 🙏🏻
We told them that we are international cricketers travelling to multan after our match in Karachi they still took 8000 thousand rupees and then let us go it will

— Sohaib Maqsood (@sohaibcricketer) November 27, 2023

Maqsood added that the police had threatened to take them to the police station if he did not pay.

Read Police, judiciary top most corrupt in Pakistan: survey

IGP Sindh, taking notice of the cricket’s predicament in the province, directed DIG Shaheed Benazirabad to investigate the matter immediately and submit an inquiry report to him.
 

قومی کرکٹرز سے رشوت ستانی کا واقعہ۔۔

ڈی آئی جی شہیدبینظیرآباد نے انکوائری رپورٹ ترتیب دیدی۔

سکرنڈ تھانہ کے 04 پولیس اہلکار ملوث پائے گئے۔ڈی آئی جی ایس بی

انکے خلاف باقاعدہ ایف آئی آر درج کرکے قانونی کاروائی کی جارہی ہے۔پرویز چانڈیو۔@amiryamin54 @sohaibcricketer pic.twitter.com/zgZwZjdCW2

— Sindh Police (@SindhPoliceDMC) November 28, 2023

The incident
In his interview with a private TV channel, the sportsman revealed that he was travelling with another cricketer around midnight when he was stopped by a pair of policemen demanding official documents of the vehicle, two kilometres ahead of the toll plaza in Sindh.

Maqsood added that the officers initially warned him of a Rs100,000 penalty for the usage of high-beam lights. To this, the cricketer on television said: “I informed him that checking papers was not within their jurisdiction, and if traffic police were to stop us, they would typically impose a fine of up to Rs2,500.”

After this, the cricketer was threatened by them that he would be taken to the police station. “After negotiation, we gave him Rs8,000”, he commented and added: “This incident frightened us since it was nighttime and an isolated place.”