August 06, 2006	Sunday	Rajab 10, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, Aug 5: Thirty eight policemen including the Station House Officer (SHO), Airport Police, have been booked, and 26 of them were sent to Adiala jail on Saturday on charges of dereliction of duty which led to escape of a handcuffed accused from the police lock-up.

Out of the 38 policemen, the 26 were produced in the court of Civil Judge Malik Imran Shahbaz on Saturday who sent them to Adiala jail for 24 days and directed the concerned authorities to produce them in the court on August 29, 2006.

The acting District Police Officer Dr Muhammad Azam confirmed the arrest of 26 policemen including the Muharrar of the police station. They had been sent to Adiala jail while efforts were underway to arrest the rest including the SHO, he said.

He said a police raiding team had been constituted to arrest the escapee Banaris Khan. The DPO expressed his confidence that the accused would be arrested soon and brought to justice.

Banaris Khan who was arrested by the Airport police on August 1 in a kidnapping for ransom case and was being interrogated by SI Munawar Khan.

Muhammad Azhar Akram Supervisory Police Officer (SPO) Airport Police Station lodged an FIR against the 30 cops with the airport police under section 223/224 of the PPC and 155 police order 2002 saying that SHO inspector Malik Sher Muhammad informed him on telephone that Banaris Khan had escaped from the custody.

The SPO said he was informed that Banaris Khan, belonging to Bajaur Agency, was brought out of the lock-up by the investigating officer SI Munawar Khan and taken to his room where he was chained to the window.

The SPO was informed that Banaris Khan was left alone by the investigating officer SI Munawar. On getting a chance, Banaris Khan escaped from the police station after the sun set on Friday. “No effort was made by the police station staff to trace the escapee,” the SPO Azhar Akram said in the FIR.

The acting DPO Dr Muhammad Azam said that the registration of case against 38 police officials is an example for the other police personnel who have been involved in dereliction of duty.

The accused policemen included, one inspector SHO Malik Sher Muhammad, three SIs Allah Baksh, Munawar Khan and Muhammad Aslam. Five ASIs Zameer Haider Shah, muharrar, Abdul Waheed, Fazal Hussain, Allah Yar, and Khalid Mehmood.

Moor Muhammad Head Constable, Riaz Hussain, Mumtaz, Habibur Rehman and Muhammad Shad.

Constables, Pervez Akhtar, Muhammad Ikram, Sher Hussain, Rasheed Khan, Muhammad Saleem, Sajid Hussain, Ikhlaq Ahmed, Tariq Maqsood, Wasim Ijaz, Munawar Hussain, Ishtiaq Hussain, Aftab Ahmed, Abdul Hameed, Adeel Javaid, Pervez Iqbal, Javaid Akhtar, Muhammad Taj, Muhammad Azad, Abid Hussain, Muhammad Arshad, Ijaz Ahmed, Khalid Hussain, Muhammad Anwar and Munir Ahmed.