February 2, 2003	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 29, 1423

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PESHAWAR, Feb 1: The head of the city police has ordered an inquiry into the alleged killing of a 25-year-old man in police custody.

During a press conference at the Police Headquarters here on Saturday, chief of the Capital City Police Tanveer-ul-Haq Sipra said that Iftikhar, son of Taj Mohammad, a resident of Toda, was killed at the police checkpoint in the limits of Faqirabad police station.

An investigation committee had been formed to probe into the cause of his death, he said.

Iftikhar, an employ of Mohsin Match Factory, was going to catch a bus for his village on Friday evening. A police mobile, on suspicion, stopped Iftikhar near Subzi Mandi, and started his body search. But he ran away as he had a small knife in his pocket, witnesses told Dawn here on Saturday.

The police mobile chased Iftikhar and after nabbing him thrashed him severely.

He was beaten with the butt of guns by several policemen, they said.

In the meantime, ASP Faqirabad police station Jaffar, reached the spot in another police vehicle and ordered the cops to bring him to Ittihad checkpoint, they said.

The policemen, without knowing the reason, started beating him. Later, he fell unconscious, but the police did not provide him medical treatment. As a result he died, sources maintained.

But the police, before sending the deceased’s body for post mortem, went to his village and got signature of the deceased’s brother, in which it was stated that Iftikhar was not killed due to police torture, the sources said.

The police have not yet registered an FIR despite a lapse of 24 hours.

The police in their daily report claimed that the their mobile was trying to nab some criminals. Iftikhar also started running after seeing the police and fell on the road after dashing into another pedestrian, they said.

The police said that the mobile team rushed Iftikhar to a hospital, but he died on the way.