Hands washed clean?: Official claims boss wants murder accused absolved

Says high ups want him to tamper with investigation into teenager’s killing, SP denies.

RAWALPINDI:

A Mandra police sub-inspector is allegedly being pressurised by his seniors to declare the killers of a 16-year old boy innocent.

Talking to The Express Tribune, SI Nazar Muhammad said he had arrested three suspects in a murder case that took place in the jurisdiction of the Mandra Police Station on August 22, where Hassan Ali, a proclaimed offender, along with his father Muhammad Yaqoob and an accomplice named Tariq gunned down Qasim Ali.

An FIR was registered by the deceased’s father. He said Hassan and Tariq were arrested and handed over to the police on remand. After being arrested, they confessed to the crime during interrogation. The SI said he was then called to his office by Rawal Town Superintendent of Police Jamaat Shah and asked to prove the alleged killers innocent.

“The relatives of the deceased will support your interrogation report and will tell the court that the accused are not the killers,” he quoted the SP as saying. He claimed he was directed to show that one of the suspects was arrested from Gujranwala and the others from Kashmir.

However, when I refused the SP threatened me with dire consequences, he added.

The SP is currently holding three offices at a time — Rawal Town SP, acting Saddar Circle SP and acting Operations SSP.

SP Shah rejected the allegations levelled against him by his subordinates, when contacted over the phone. He said he directed SI Nazar to hold an inquiry on merit after he learnt that the investigation was “going on the wrong path”.

When asked why he believed the IO was conducting a faulty investigation, the SP said he could only reveal that information in his office.

City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana did not respond to phone calls or SMS requests for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2013.