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| May 23, 2005 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1426 |
Families of blast victims also strike deal with accused
LAHORE, May 22: Heirs of Sunday’s scrap blast victims have reportedly struck a deal with the accused after accepting Rs400,000 each. Police however vowed to continue legal action against the accused owner of the Misri Shah godown. The case was initially hushed up by the city division police against a Rs1.2 million deal struck in league with some crime reporters. The godown owner wanted to keep the case unreported because he would never like the police to enter his premises due to his previous alleged criminal record, a police source said.
Two labourers were killed and four others suffered injuries when some ammunition scrap exploded in the godown owned by Zubair alias Zubairi, the son of late Kumma Qasai.
Lahore Operations police chief SSP Aftab Cheema unearthed the hush-up with the help of a secret report compiled by Naulakha ASP Dr Raja Muhammad Abid. The ASP had mentioned in his report that something wrong had gone in the godown, which was being concealed by some junior police officers.
“I have heard that the families have been compensated, but we have not got it on record officially,” the operations police chief told Dawn by phone. Even if it happened, he said, the police would continue following the accused under other charges, including explosives act and criminal offence of hushing up the case. He added the families had the right to forgive the accused, but other charges against the accused would be contested by the police in a court of law.
The police sources said the deal between the families and the accused had been brokered by a political figure and a police DSP, who got an assurance from the legal heirs that they would not pursue the case.— Staff Reporter
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