PESHAWAR, Aug 26: Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has reprimanded the city police over reports that at least three police stations were involved in promoting child prostitution in Peshawar.

Official sources said that the Special Branch, a provincial intelligence wing, had recently sent a report to the chief minister about increasing incidents of child prostitution in Peshawar and accused some officials of the three police stations of taking bribes from small hotels, inns and pimps for child sex workers.

On Aug 17, the chief minister summoned Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Haji Habibur Rehman and disccused the matter with him, the sources said.

At a separate meeting held later in the day on the law and order situation, the CCPO warned police officials, particularly the station house officers, of strict action if they were found involved in the immoral trade.

The Special Branch (SB) had accused some officials of the Kabuli, Hashtnagri and Gulbahar police stations of allowing the heinous crime after taking money from hotels and inns in the Kabari Bazaar, a Qissakhwani Bazaar lane.

The SB report said these officials were also taking money from inns in Gur Mandi in the limits of the Hashtnagri police and near the General Bus Stand on the Grand Trunk Road in the jurisdiction of the Gulbahar police.

Last week, the city police chief sacked eight policemen for taking bribe from passengers at the General Bus Stand in May, the sources said. These policemen were identified as Mohabat Khan, Misal Khan, Yasin, Amanullah, Javed, Ikram Bacha, Ghaffar and Wajid.

The sources said that these policemen were caught red-handed by the former ASP Gulbahar Sadiq Dogar and suspended them immediately services. A police team later conducted an inquiry and found them guilty and recommended dismissal.

Sources said the policemen had been arrested on information provided by the Special Branch and accused that they had links with pimps.

However, Senior Superintendent of Police (operation) Saeed Wazir said the eight were dismissed on the charge of taking money from passengers.

Notably, in a rare action in the first week of June police raided three small hotels in the Kabari Bazaar and arrested 14 young boys and 12 men. The accused included the owner of a hotel notorious for child prostitution.