Police apathy?: ‘Kidnapped’ family’s relatives protest

They went on a trip to Kot Addu, one member was found dead there.

RAWALPINDI:

Friends and relatives of a family that allegedly went missing in Kot Addu carried out a protest in Pirwadhai on Saturday. They were demonstrating against the Islamabad police for not registering a kidnapping case when their family disappeared.

The protesters were demanding the registration of an FIR over the kidnapping of Kosar Niazi and his family after they allegedly went missing on January 13. Niazi’s body was found in Kot Addu on January 16.

One of his relatives said Niazi went for a trip to Kot Addu with his wife and three children on the invitation of his friend Rafique alias Malangi.

The family, who live in Hazara Colony in Rawalpindi, protested against the Tarnol police for not registering a kidnapping case. A murder case has already been filed with the Kot Addu police.

“Nisar, a relative of Niazi’s, saw the killers stabbing him to death. Later on he informed us that Niazi had been stabbed to death in Kot Addu”, said Muhammad Saeed, a cousin of the deceased.

Saeed said that they were protesting in Rawalpindi as the family is based here, but they would soon protest outside Tarnol Police Station as well.

He said the family was still unaware of the whereabouts of Niazi’s wife and children.

SP Rawal Town Chaudhry Hanif said the alleged incident had not taken place in Rawalpindi and the protesters had been urged to contact Islamabad police high ups to resolve the issue.

On the other hand, the Tarnol police claimed they had not received any written complaint for registration of a kidnapping case.

Tarnol SHO Malik Fazal Rehman said that preliminary investigations suggested that Niazi willingly went to Kot Addu on a recreational visit and there is no evidence of kidnapping.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2013.