May 16, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 10, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 15: Shahzad Town police is in a fix after a city court delivered quick justice by recovering two women from its premises and restoring them to a citizen on Thursday who had petitioned that they were being “held illegally” by police.

A bailiff dispatched by the additional and sessions court did find two women at the police station Wednesday evening and handed them to the complainant.

On Thursday morning, the complainant appeared before the court with his two female “relatives” the bailiff had “rescued” and the court disposed of the matter.

But according to the Shahzad Town police the two women and the complainant were characters in a drama staged by a gang of swindlers to malign the police for busting it.

SHO Arshad Khokhar said that a week before his force had arrested two women for swindling people in the area by offering and selling them fake old gold coins. They were produced before a court and were sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand.

Police claims they belonged to a group of swindlers, some of whom had been proclaimed absconders by a court.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Shahzad Town Circle said the two women found by the bailiff had appeared at the police station a little before the bailiff arrived.

They told the police guard at the main gate that they wanted to meet SI Asghar Bhatti who, they said, was investigating a case of fraud involving their relatives, and were let in.

Soon after they were seated inside the officer’s room, the bailiff arrived to rescue them.

SHO Khokhar says he was out inspecting the site where the body of a three-year-old boy had been found when he heard of the bailiff’s raid. He rushed back but failed to convince the bailiff that the women were not in police custody and to establish the facts first.

Asked if it would pursue the complainant who “staged the drama”, the Shahzad Town police said the matter lay not in its jurisdiction but that of the court.