Massive corruption in police dept unearthed

Extra fuel consumption trackers installed in official vehicles including mobile vans

KARACHI:

Massive corruption has been unearthed in the police department through fuel consumption by mobile vans amounting to millions of rupees every month. Huge consumption of petrol and diesel is shown by masterly installing up to five consumption trackers in each van causing losses to the exchequer.

An investigation has been initiated after obtaining evidence including videos. Sindh Police, during the tenure of former inspector general A.D. Khwaja in 2017, took notice of use of fuel beyond limits had installed fuel consumption tracker in all police vans to keep a check on fuel theft.

But this system also did not work as up to five trackers were masterly installed in each vehicle including patrolling vans, security police mobiles as well as the vehicles in the use of DSP rank officers to show high usage and claim fuel costs. Fuel consumption was also being showed in various vehicles which were not even in the use.

According to sources of Karachi Police Office, Additional IG Karachi Khadim Hussain Rind has taken notice of installation of five tracker system on a police mobile and has ordered an investigation. Sindh Police had sent a letter to Sindh Home Department at the beginning of the year asking for an additional fund of Rs50 million for SSU, Security One, Security Two, Foreign Security Cell, Court Police and Guard Force.

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From the law and order budget, the Sindh government had asked for a fund of Rs100.36 million for SSU, Rs14.88 million for Security One, Rs89 million for Security Two, Rs11.3 million for Foreign Security Cell, Rs31.7 million for Court police, Rs124.7 million for Security Force.

Similarly, during the year 2022-23, Ghotki, Kashmore and Shikarpur police have used fuel worth Rs360 million.

In Ghotki, 70 mobiles and 17 armoured vehicles consumed diesel and petrol worth Rs190 million, 65 police mobiles and 16 armoured vehicles consumed diesel and petrol worth Rs70 million in Kashmore, while 70 police mobiles and 7 armoured vehicles consumed fuel worth Rs100 million.

Despite getting a budget of billions of rupees, the law and order situation in Sindh is still a big question mark. Police have not been able to get any success against street crimes, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and Kutcha area daciots in the province.