May 26, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 20, 1429

RAWALPINDI, May 25: Two police officials, who tried to intercept a truck loaded with wheat flour bags, were kidnapped at a gunpoint by the truck driver and his helper on Sunday night. Later, the policemen were released after two hours but without their belts.

According to a senior police official the incident happened when two the police officials - Musa and Wasim - deployed at a picket on the GT Road near Wah signalled the truck to stop.

During search, the police spotted around 255 bags of atta that was being smuggled to NWFP. As the policemen tried to take the truck into custody and directed the driver to take his vehicle to the police station, the persons inside the truck resisted and pulled out their pistols and dragged the two policemen inside the vehicle and sped away, the official said.

As the search for the missing policemen started by the police after about two hours, they - apparently terrified - returned to their police station but without belts.

According to police, they were taken hostage by the truck driver, Masoom Shah, and later released somewhere near Nowshera. The driver managed to escape.

Meanwhile, a bailiff appointed by the additional sessions judge raided the New Town police station on Saturday and recovered a man who was illegally detained by the police, official sources said.

Ms Khalida Perveen filled a petition in the court of Attaullah Kausar seeking recovery of her husband’s brother from the police station.

She said in her complaint that her husband’s brother - Tariq Abbasi - was picked up by ASI Akram two days ago and being tortured at the police station.

Following her complaint, the ASJ appointed Malik Lal as a bailiff to recover the man. The bailiff also directed the ASI and the Station House Officer of the New Town to appear in the court of the ASJ on May 29 along with the police record.