Attock police ‘side with murderers’

DSP, SHO allegedly implicate murder victim’s brothers in fictitious cases

RAWALPINDI:

The family members of a murder victim have been running from pillar to post to seek justice after the Attock police in alleged connivance with the influential killers made their lives hell and implicated them in false cases of narcotics possession.

The police officers and officials continued pressurising the victim’s brother to reconcile with the suspects involved in the murder and when the plaintiff didn’t agree, the police allegedly implicated the complainant and his two brothers in three drug cases.

Later, a high-level inquiry was conducted on the orders of the Rawalpindi regional police chief and cops were declared biased. A regular departmental inquiry was then recommended against Pindi Gheb DSP and SHO Sajjad Haider.

Muhammad Rafiq from Aminabad, Attock complained to the police that on April 28, 2023, suspects Hammad, Tariq and their accomplices shot and killed his brother Safar Khan for refusing to give them a car. A murder case was registered. Police arrested Hammad on June 18 last year and declared Tariq wanted in the case.

The applicant alleged that some officers and officials of the Attock police allegedly forced him and his brothers to reconcile with the killers and started pressure tactics. When the complainant refused, a case (843/23) of narcotics possession was registered against Rafiq’s brother Shafiq in Attock police station on November 17, 2023.

On November 18, another case (849/23) under drug offence was registered against Rafiq in Attock city police station. Yet again on December 31, a case (283/23) was registered against Rafiq’s other brother Zeeshan at Basal police station for possessing drugs, making it impossible for the three brothers to pursue the case of their brother's murder. According to Rafiq, the police registered false cases against them by allegedly conniving with the accused.

It is learned that the then Rawalpindi RPO Syed Khurram issued instructions to the Regional Investigation Branch (RIB) to conduct a high-level inquiry into the entire matter and submit a report. According to the sources, the inquiry team called the Investigation Officers and the complainant along with the records, reviewed it and recorded the statements of the officers and personnel. During the hearing, SHO Sajjad Haider, referring to a voice call, got it listened to the RPO and others in the room, claiming that the applicant was threatening the subordinate staff over Zeeshan’s arrest. But when the inquiry team asked the SHO about any legal action against the threatening call, he remained silent and failed to give any evidence.

The inquiry team, in its report sent to the Rawalpindi RPO, expressed serious reservations and stated that after the murder case, several cases were registered against the plaintiff and his brothers for drug offences at different times. Similarly, the SHO’s silence also raised serious doubts. The inquiry report also found no previous record of cases against the three brothers and pointed fingers at the policemen’s mala fide intention. The report also recommended regular departmental inquiry against the Pindi Gheb DSP and the SHO.

When contacted, complainant Muhammad Rafiq said they all brothers are daily wage earners. The accused used to commit such incidents before and they have strong connections with the police, he said, adding the police used to call them to the police station, make them sit for hours and harass them as part of the pressure tactics. “Now we are trying to get bail,” he added.

SHO Sajjad Haider told The Express Tribune that the ANF and the police have registered cases of drugs against members of the said family, while cases of gambling have also been registered against one of them. The family members of the accused are included in the top ten list prepared by the Punjab IGP, he claimed and added he could present evidence in his defence at any forum.

Haider further said that the reputation of the accused could be verified from the Samundarabad area. Haider refuted the allegations of connivance and influence with the accused.

When The Express Tribune tried to get a version from Rawalpindi RPO Babar Sarfraz Alpa, he didn’t respond. However, his spokesperson said that in light of the findings of the inquiry report, orders for regular inquiry against the staff have been sent to the Attock DPO today.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2024.