Missing person: DNA test to establish identity of body recovered from canal

Constable confesses to torturing detained man to death.

FAISALABAD: A policeman being questioned about a missing factory worker arrested on June 6 on charge of theft, has admitted that the man died from police torture.

The confession was made in police custody on Saturday before the investigation officer. The policeman also said that the man’s body was thrown into the Narwala Road canal.

The body was later recovered and shown to the family, who said they were unable to identify the man due to decomposition. Samples from the body were then sent for a DNA test to ascertain the man’s identity.

The investigation officer said the deceased was probably Khawaja Ammar Azeem, an employee at the factory of former opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmad.



The investigation officer said Azeem was arrested on June 6 by the Madina Town station house officer, Rana Maghfoor and Constables Imtiaz and Mohsin. He said the SHO had not entered the arrest in the register. The next day, the IO said said, when his family went to the police station, the SHO denied having arrested anyone.

The family then obtained a CCTV footage from the factory administration which showed police taking Azeem along with them.

A case was then registered against the SHO and the two constables at the Ghulam Muhammadabad police station.

The three policemen were arrested on June 13.

Azeem was looked for, but to no avail.

On Sunday, Constable Mohsin told the investigation team that Azeem had died from police torture and that his body was later dumped in the canal.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2013.