The untouchables: Traffic police official 'abducted', released 'within minutes'

Sub Inspector Manzoor Ahmed was allegedly thrashed for issuing a violation ticket.

ISLAMABAD: When it is their paiti bhai (colleague) in trouble, the police are the first to arrive, and the offender mostly ends up in jail, whoever he/she may be.

This was the case on Thursday when men in blue rushed to rescue their vulnerable colleague from the wrath of an infuriated van driver who had challenged his traffic violation.

Sub Inspector Manzoor Ahmed of Islamabad Traffic Police stopped a van en route to Peshawar from Rawalpindi on the Grand Trunk Road near Jhangi Syedan.

“The driver, Abdul Wahab, failed to produce a valid route permit,” said an investigation officer from the Tarnol police, quoting Ahmed. The driver and his helper Kifayatullah got into a verbal brawl with the cop after he decided to issue a violation ticket, he added.

The police officer said that the two men, later joined by some more drivers, started thrashing the sub inspector after he refused to give in to their pressure. Later they put him in a vehicle and took him to a place where they kept him locked up.

Ahmed, however, managed to inform his control room about the situation and a police team was sent to rescue him. Another police official said the sub inspector had to 'wait' only for a few minutes before the police help arrived.

The driver and his helper were arrested after the police got their colleague released. They were charged with resisting legal action, manhandling a police official and keeping him detained, and sent to jail on judicial remand on Thursday.

Ahmed could not be contacted as his phone was switched off. However, the investigation officer blamed “fasting” for the scuffle.

“The van driver was fasting so he lost his temper when the cop asked him to hand over his driving licence,” he said. On seeing their senior entangled in a fight, the subordinates also joined in. The Tarnol police were looking for more suspects who assisted the driver at the time of the filing of this report.