Seven cops arrested for alleged extortion

Seven police personnel from two police stations in Lahore's Iqbal Town Division have been booked and arrested for allegedly intimidating citizens and extorting money from them, police said.

The cases were registered following departmental inquiries into complaints against the officials.

The inquiries reportedly found the accused guilty of misconduct and involvement in allegedly extorting money from citizens at different locations.

The accused were subsequently arrested and detained in police lock-ups on the orders of the deputy inspector general (DIG).

Three of the accused are posted at Nawankot Police Station, while four are serving at Millat Park Police Station.

According to an FIR, Constable Abdul Wahab allegedly told Abrar Tanveer, the maternal uncle of Hafiz Abdul Rahim, that his nephew was a habitual offender.

Wahab, along with alleged accomplices Ilyas Arsalan alias Mani and Muhammad Ahsan, allegedly picked up a citizen from outside Hafiz Abdul Rahim's residence and took him to a police quarter, where they allegedly extorted Rs52,000 from him.

In another incident, Nawankot police personnel identified as Tauqeer, Asad and Imran allegedly stopped a citizen, Shakeel, and his sister in the Namak Kot area and forced him to transfer Rs3,500 through a digital payment application.

Police authorities initiated departmental inquiries into both incidents and subsequently found the accused personnel guilty, leading to the registration of criminal cases against them.

The DIG said no one was above the law and warned that there was no place in the police department for personnel involved in mistreating, assaulting or taking bribes from citizens.

He directed officials to take strict action against police personnel found involved in misconduct and said accountability would be ensured without discrimination