May 5, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 4: CIA police allegedly picked up an auto- mechanic from Karachi Company area on Thursday and kept him in detention for two days for demanding vehicle repair charges from a senior official of the CIA, eyewitnesses told Dawn.

“It was a matter of Rs10 for which Mr Asad remained under detention,” they said.

The victim told Dawn that a senior official of the CIA police, who identified himself as the incharge of the CIA, came to him on Thursday and asked him to repair his car’s silencer.

The labourer settled the job for Rs40. However, the police official had been told that the expense of any new spare-part, if used, would have to be borne by him.

“I found that a rubber ring used to fix the silencer was missing in the car and asked the car owner to bear its cost,” he said.

The police official refused to pay the money, which was only Rs10, and started quarrelling with the mechanic, the eyewitnesses said.

On the intervention of the people, the official went away but threatened the mechanic of dire consequences, they said.

After sometimes, a police party reached the spot and took away the mechanic. No case was registered against the victim, who was released on Saturday evening.

The incharge of the CIA department could not be contacted for his comment. However, an official of the department, Umar Khan, said that no such incident had taken place with the CIA police.