The father of a young man, who died two weeks ago in a hit-and-run incident, has accused the police of protecting the real suspect and charging the wrong man instead.
The father, who said he witnessed the incident, claims that the death of his 24-year-old son, Shehryar Johnson, was not an accident but a deliberate attack on his life by a tractor trolley driver, with whom his son had entered into a scuffle over a minor dispute three days prior to the incident.
The father alleges that the police are protecting the identity of the real suspect and have removed evidence from the crime scene, including the number plate of the tractor trolley. He went as far as to accuse the police of taking bribes from the suspect. He has demanded the authorities to take notice of the incident and punish the real person behind his son’s murder.
However, Shahzad Town police’s Station House Officer (SHO) Naeem Sheikh denied all allegations, saying that the suspect has already confessed to the crime in court. He said that all material evidence is available with the police, adding that the suspect was handed over by the owner of the tractor trolley used in the hit-and-run after being probed. The suspect, Rehmat, is on a pre-arrest bail till March 5, the SHO added.
Shehryar was killed after being run over by a tractor trolley while crossing a road near his house in New Iqbal Town on February 19. He worked as a receptionist at a local hotel and was preparing to give his Intermediate Part-II exams this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2012.
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