MULTAN, Oct 5: Justice Fakharunisa Khokhar of the LHC has directed the Mutan range DIG to submit within a fortnight the report on the ‘Madad committee’ scam and the police role.

Despite a weekly holiday on Saturday, Justice Khokhar held court owing to the importance of the matter in public interest.

Multan SP (Investigation) Malik Mureed Husain and the SHOs of Qutabpur, Cantonment and Allapa were summoned on the habeas corpus petition filed by Nusrat Islam for the recovery of his brother Shaukat Islam. Shaukat is the alleged accomplice of Tahir Sharif, the mastermind behind the fraud in which the people lost at least Rs200 million.

The police produced Shaukat before court claiming that his arrest was made on Oct 4. The judge was informed that two FIRs were registered against him on Sept 26 last. Earlier, two previous hearings on Oct 1 and 4, the police had denied that Shaukat was in their custody.

The judge censured the SP on the first hearing while on the second he was suspended for several hours for misinforming court.

Justice Khokhar further directed the DIG to report why the accused was not produced before any court since his arrest and that why did the SP continuously tell lies to court.

The judge ordered immediate physical examination of the accused besides directing to present him before court concerned as he had been named in FIRs registered under several sections of PPC and ATA-97.

Later, the police produced Shaukat before the local anti-terrorism court No 1 to seek his physical remand. Court granted a two-day remand of him.

An unauthorised cooperative like finance company — the Madad committee — had launched its operation a few months ago in Liaquatpur, Muhammadpura and Tata Colony slums in Multan city. The committee offered 45 per cent profit in a week against hard cash deposits.

People from all walks of life thronged the Madad committee office to reap the benefit of the scheme. Riots broke out in three adjacent Old Shujaabad localities last month when police raided and arrested a number of committee officials, including its patron Tahir Sharif.

Most of the Madad committee victims still believe that Tahir was a benefactor and was pulling them out of the financial crisis.