Rule of law: Police accused of robbery, abduction

Case registered after family protest.

FAISALABAD:

A Mureedwala-bound van from Okara carrying a wedding party was looted on Sunday allegedly by 20 policemen. The policemen also took four passengers with them when they left.

The passengers later staged a demonstration in front of the Bahlak police station against the police accusing them of high handedness. They demanded that their family members be recovered from police custody.

Khalid Mehmood, one of the protesters and part of the wedding party, said that a police team headed by Inspector Javaid Siddiqui signaled the van driver to stop near Mari Patan toll plaza.

Mehmood said when the driver did not stop, the police punctured the van tyres with several shots.



He said the policemen entered the van and told the passengers to hand over money and their gold jewellery.

He said they collected Rs100,000 in cash and Rs800,000 worth of gold jewellery and mobile phones. They warned of shooting anyone who tried to put up resistance.

Mehmood said the policemen took four men- Riaz Ahmad, Naseer Ali, Muhammad Ghazanfar and Khursheed Akram- with them as they fled in a police van.

Mehmood said the policemen had been chasing their van from Adda Bangal Gogera. He said he had noticed it, but did not say anything thinking that the team was on patrol duty.

He said when their van got on a deserted road, the driver of the police van started blowing horns while the policemen signaled them to stop.

The driver of the van later told The Express Tribune that he had not stopped thinking he had mistakenly broken a traffic rule and was being asked to stop. He said when he sped up, the policemen shot at the tyres. He said the vehicle had almost overturned.

He said he identified Inspector Javaid Siddiqui and Sub Inspector Muhammad Ejaz of Bahlak police station.

The protesters threatened to attack the police station if their family men were not recovered.

A police team arrived at the spot on the orders of City Police Officer Haidar Ashraf.

They tried to stop the protesters by assuring them that the City Police Officer had ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The CPO told The Express Tribune that he had taken notice of the incident and ordered the police to register an FIR and start investigation. He said those found guilty would be handed with an iron hand.

The station house officer said a case had been registered under Section 395 (dacoity) of Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2013