Man falls to death to evade arrest

Khan jumped out of the window after the police raid.

RAWALPINDI:

An old man allegedly died on Monday after he jumped out the window of a double-storey house in Ratta Amaral to avoid being arrested for gambling, it has been learnt.

The body of Ghareeb Khan, 55, was recovered from a sewerage canal on the rear of a building owned by Muhammad Afzal, when one of the four arrested men informed the police that someone had committed suicide, according to the police and witnesses.

Ratta Amral Police Station House Officer (SHO) Jawad Shah along with his team raided the building and arrested four men as they were playing cards, when Khan tried to elude arrest. Despite repeated calls, Shah did not respond with his version of events. However, a policeman part of the raiding time said they were not aware of the old man prior to being informed of his suicide.

Upon discovering Khan’s body, the police transferred him to nearby Railway Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The deceased was then handed over to Khan’s family, who refused to undertake legal proceedings over the death calling it “accidental”.

Meanwhile, Saddar Bairuni police registered a criminal case against two police constables for torturing a man and forcing him to walk naked in Chak Jalal Din.

Police booked Shafaqat and Waqas Kiani for rioting, unlawful assembling and assaulting with intent to dishonour a person. This was after Kiani had complained of seeing Shafaqat’s father beating a man. The complaintant said that when he and his  brother, Hamid tried to escape, the attackers gave chase. Later the constables, along with 15 other men allegedly attacked their house and began beating Hamid before stripping him naked and forcing him to walk the street.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2012.