Top cop orders probe into suspect’s death
Photo of Islamabad police. PHOTO: AFP
The Islamabad police chief on Wednesday launched a departmental inquiry after an alleged battery thief died after ‘falling’ from the Tarnol police station’s rooftop under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday evening.
Police claimed that the suspect arrested in connection with a theft case ended his life by jumping from the rooftop to avoid the interrogation process. The inquiry would determine if the suspect was subjected to alleged torture and was pushed from the roof, as the local police termed the incident as accidental, or if he jumped himself from the rooftop. Islamabad inspector general of police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi ordered to hold the inquiry.
Police sources told The Express Tribune that the Tarnol police obtained the arrest warrant for 28-year-old Muhammad Suleman, who was accused of stealing 50 batteries, and raided many places to arrest him, but the suspect could not be arrested.
On Tuesday afternoon, the informant alerted the police about the whereabouts of the suspect who was hiding in a plaza in Tarnol Bazaar. A heavy contingent of police raided the plaza and arrested him. The raiding police team led by the investigation officer of the case shifted the accused to Tarnol police station where he mysteriously fell from the roof of the police station on Tuesday evening. The injured suspect was rushed to a hospital where he failed to survive despite rescue efforts.
Soon after the incident, the IG formed an immediate inquiry committee and sought a report within three days. The Tarnol police shifted the body of the accused to the hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
A senior officer, requesting not to be named, told this correspondent that after the accused was brought to the police station, the IO took him to the first floor. The IO was taking the suspect to his room, but the suspect started running. The IO and other cops ran after the suspect but the accused reached the rooftop, jumped to the ground and got serious injuries.
When contacted, Tarnol SHO Shabbir Tanoli said that the arrested accused stayed in the police station for only seven minutes. The suspect was being taken to the IO’s room for questioning when he ran and jumped from the roof of the police station, he added. To a question, the SHO said that no marks of torture were found on the body of the deceased.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2024.