Rangers official sent to jail for involvement in missing persons case

KARACHI:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) dismissed the pre-arrest bail application of a Rangers official in a case pertaining to a kidnapping.

The ATC-I dismissed the bail plea of a sub-inspector of Rangers, Muhammad Riaz Sarwar Tumman, when he appeared before the court to confirm his bail on Tuesday. Following the dismissal of the bail plea, Tumman was arrested and sent to jail.

According to the prosecution, four men, Havaldar Lala Ameen, Shiraz, Ghazi Khan and Sher Afzal, were kidnapped by unidentified men on July 31, 2010. The prosecution said that the unidentified men had come in a hi-roof van at their residence near the central jail and taken the men away.

A case, No.336/10, under Section 365-A (kidnapping or abducting for extorting property, valuable security) read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, was registered on the complaint of Muhammad Yousuf at the New Town police station. Shiraz's mother, Khaula, had also approached the police and court for her son's recovery.

While the complainants were searching for the men, two Rangers officials, Tumman and Sher Afsar, offered help saying that they could help locate the 'missing persons,' said the state prosecutor. They officials took Rs100,000 for their assistance, he added, but were unable to find the missing persons.

Subsequently, the complainants had gone to the Sindh High Court and filed a missing person petition. During the inquiry, the Rangers officials confessed that they had taken the money and also returned the same, he added.

Afsar was sent to jail while Tumman was granted an interim bail from the SHC with directions to appear before the relevant court. The case will be taken up on May 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.