Cops demoted over assault, bribery charges

HARIPUR:

Two police havaldars have been demoted to the rank of constable after allegations of assaulting a citizen and accepting a bribe were found to be true. The action was taken after a citizen publicly appealed for justice on social media, alleging misconduct by police officials of Tareen Abad police post and Kot Najibullah police.

The complainant claimed that Rs30,000 was allegedly collected in the name of the Kot Najibullah SHO for the release of his children, while another Rs15,000 was taken in the name of medical expenses and handed to the opposing party.

He alleged that a police official received money on behalf of the SHO and later demanded additional payment. The citizen also provided the name of the official to the media and called for a transparent inquiry. The complainant said he and his family had suffered mental distress and appealed to the DSP and DPO Haripur Shafiullah Gandapur for justice.

Following a viral social media video, DPO Gandapur took notice of the allegations. Police officials Umair, the muharrar of Jhari Kis police post, and Havaldar Adil were demoted from havaldar to constable after the charges were substantiated.

According to the DPO, the two officials had assaulted citizen Arshad and accepted a bribe before releasing him.