Strict action: SHO Shafiq Tanoli demoted after allegedly conducting illegal raid

The officer is said to have arrested residents of a house in Sea View.

KARACHI: The police are conducting an enquiry against police officer Shafiq Tanoli after he allegedly conducted a raid at a house in Sea View on Saturday.

Tanoli, the SHO of Mawach Goth, was demoted and suspended from his post on Sunday on the orders of the acting IG Sindh, Iqbal Mehmood - who was made permanent on Monday. The decision was made after Tanoli allegedly carried out an illegal raid within the remits of the Darakhshan police station.



Following the incident, South SSP Nasir Aftab told The Express Tribune that Tanoli had been demoted from the post of sub-inspector to the post of assistant sub-inspector.

"An investigation is being carried out against the officer," confirmed Aftab. "We will talk to both sides and collect evidence."

The senior police officer, along with a police team, is said to have conducted a raid at a house in Sea View, claiming that it was home to criminals and illegal activities. Tanoli has been accused of harassing the residents of the house and illegally arresting some of them.

Aftab, who was unwilling to share the details of the raid, said that a complaint was lodged against Tanoli the next day. "We are looking into the matter to see why the people were taken into custody and where they have been taken," he said.

Denying allegations

However, Tanoli told The Express Tribune that he was not involved in the raid and denied the charges against him, claiming that it was a private agency that had conducted the raid.

"The incident has been misreported and I have nothing to do with it," he claimed, hoping that he would be reinstated when his innocence is proved. "The area does not even fall under my jurisdiction."

Tanoli said that if he had tortured or hurt anyone then that person should come forward and show the torture marks as proof.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2014.