April 12, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 11: Two persons, who were brought to the city courts for hearing in separate fraud cases, escaped from police custody after rendering their guards unconscious by offering them food mixed with some intoxicants here on Friday, police said.

However, sources in the police department told Dawn that the accused escaped in connivance with the police officials guarding them.

Both officials are in good health and no evidence has been found which could prove that they were intoxicated, they added.

“The police officials took the same lunch taken by the accused in a restaurant situated on the premises of the district and session courts, and if the former were left unconscious, how the latter did not collapse,” the sources said.

The Margalla police, when contacted, said the accused were arrested and booked by the Aabpara and Industrial Area police stations.

They were brought to the courts from Adiala Jail for hearing. The accused were given in the custody of two constables from the Police Lines Headquarters on their arrival at the courts.

The police said after attending the court proceedings the police official took the accused to the restaurant where the incident occurred.

The Margalla police arrested the two police officials, and registered a case against them along with the accused and started investigations.