Three cops booked for custodial torture

TOBA TEK SINGH: On the orders of the Lahore High Court, Gojra city police registered on Tuesday a case against its ASI and two constables on charges of torturing a citizen.

According to the FIR, ASI Muhammad Afzal and two constables arrested Atif Noor of Chak 363-JB in a bogus bank cheque case and allegedly tortured him for three days at the police station.

On court’s order, Toba DHQ Hospital doctors examined Noor and found torture marks.

A Gojra city police official said the policemen had not been arrested as they managed to get pre-arrest bail till March 11 from the court of the additional district and sessions judge.

YOUTH KIDNAPPED: A youth was kidnapped for ransom by a man hailing from Sheikhupura and his accomplices.

According to the FIR registered by Rajana police, complainant Mehdi Khan of Chak 256-GB Philour told the police that his son Qaiser wanted to go abroad for job and he met suspect Imran of Sheikhupura who demanded Rs150,000 for the purpose.

He said Imran took his son away after receiving money but later telephoned him that Qaiser had been kidnapped for ransom. The captor threatened if he did not pay Rs500,000, Qaiser would be killed.

Mehdi Khan said he paid the ransom to the suspects who demanded Rs1 million more for Qaiser’s release and he could not arrange the amount.

Police were conducting raids to arrest the suspects and recover Qaiser through mobile phone calls data.

GANG BUSTED: Pirmahal police on Tuesday arrested three members of an inter-district gang who would steal electricity transformers.

A police official said Idrees of Jaranwala, Rizwan of Faisalabad and Laal Husain of Pirmahal were allegedly involved in theft of 19 transformers and Arrouti, Pirmahal, Chuttiana and Kamalia police had registered cases against them.

He said police were also raiding to arrest their accomplice Intizar Husain of Nankana Sahib.

Meanwhile, Gojra police also arrested on Tuesday three members of an inter-district dacoit gang namely Zafar Iqbal of Vehari, Naveed of Faisalabad and Kashif of Gojra.

Further investigation is under way.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2015

Category: Custodial torture