K-P cop held in Pindi torture case

Viral video shows suspects chaining, assaulting victim; ATC grants 7-day remand

RAWALPINDI:

A police constable belonging to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Police turned out to be one of the suspects who were allegedly involved in brutally assaulting a citizen, stripping him naked, chaining him, torturing him, and dragging him through the streets in Rawalpindi's Gawalmandi area. Police arrested six suspects, including the K-P official identified as Yasir Khan.

The victim had complained to the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) about the illegal warehouse, prompting official action.

City Police investigations identified the officer, among others, who was seen in the video footage perpetrating the assault. Following the identification from the video, investigators also recovered the constable's official service identification card issued by the National Police Foundation (NPF), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The inquiry had been entrusted to Inspector Aamir Khalid, the Investigation Officer of the City Circle. Police sources confirmed that, as the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) have been invoked in the case, it now falls under the purview of the Inspector of Investigations.

The charges include unlawful detention, the filming of the victim, identified as Muhammad Haris, while naked, and offences under the ATA.

Authorities disclosed the names of six suspects who have been taken into custody. They are Yasir Khan, Malik Junaid Zahir, Faisal Masih, Samar Abbas, Ruheel, and Rabb Nawaz alias Nanha.

Police sources further revealed that the arrested suspect, Yasir Khan, is employed by the NPF K-P. As per his national identity card, he is a resident of Dhoke Kashmirian, Rawalpindi. Video evidence shows Yasir assaulting the victim with a pipe and a wooden stick.

ATC grants physical remand

Meanwhile, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi granted a seven-day physical remand of the six suspects.

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah approved the seven-day remand for all accused - Junaid, Yasir, Zaheer, Samar Abbas, Ruheel, and Rabb Nawaz alias Nanha - while rejecting the defence's plea for their discharge.

The court directed that the suspects be produced again on October 31, following the completion of the investigation.

The investigating team had sought a 15-day remand, citing the need to recover the chains used to restrain the victim, other instruments of torture, and to apprehend additional accomplices.