Harassement: Scrap dealer takes IG, DIG, others to court

Policemen accused of seizing scrap worth Rs1.5 million and taking Rs600,000 in bribes.

KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court put senior police officials on notice on a complaint of extortion and false cases by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).

Muhammad Ishaq, a scrap dealer, submitted in his petition that he and his five men were held in illegal custody for many days after they were taken into custody from his godown in Surjani Town.

Citing the Sindh inspector general of police, Karachi DIG, SIU SP and SI Fayyaz Shah besides a number of SIU officials as respondents, the petitioner maintained that the SIU raiding party also took away a Suzuki load of scrap worth Rs1,500,000 and also seized a Shehzore truck. The petitioner alleged that he and his three men were released after paying Rs600,000 while two men were kept in custody. The other two were also promised to be released but were later booked on the charge of keeping unlicensed arms.

The petitioner, alleging more harassment and extortion, appealed to the court to order the return of his scrap and money taken as illegal gratification. The bench comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Nisar M Shaikh, after hearing the counsel for the petitioner, summoned both the advocate general and prosecutor general to appear before it on a date to be fixed later by the office of the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2012.