Illegal confinement: CCPO directed to probe SI’s conduct

Haq had allegedly released some suspects after he was bribed.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Tuesday directed the Lahore CCPO to investigate why Sub-Inspector Anwarul Haq kept a man in police lockup after a judicial magistrate had sent him on judicial remand.

Haq was investigating a Rs2,700,000 theft and arrested some suspects and then allegedly released them after he was bribed. He then arrested three other suspects, Liaquat Ali, Idrees son of Nazar Hussain, and Idrees son of Muhammad Siddique, on March 5 and produced them before a magistrate, seeking their physical remand. The magistrate sent Liaquat Ali on judicial remand but the SI took him to the police station and detained him there.

After a habeas corpus petition was filed through advocate Asif Chattha seeking the recovery of Liaquat Ali, a bailiff recovered him from the police lockup. The next day, Ali was produced before the court. The sub-inspector told the court he was unable to take the suspect to jail in time and was, therefore, forced to keep him at the police lockup.

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