RAWALPINDI, June 23: A large number of policemen searched Dhoke Kashmirian on Saturday and Sunday, took a villager into custody, and allegedly beat women in retaliation to the torturing of two policemen of the ‘Tiger Squad’.

The two policemen had suffered bruises and were only released after villagers telephoned the Pakistan Muslim League-N’s (PML-N) member of provincial assembly, Shaukat Bhatti.

They had asked the MPA to get a case registered against the two policemen for attempted robbery.

However, the police refused to obey the MPA stating that the villagers had violated the law by torturing the policemen who were on a night patrolling duty. The police asked Mr Bhatti to contact some senior officer or the City Police Officer (CPO) in this regard.

Refuting the villagers’ claims, the police registered a criminal case against the alleged tortures for unlawfully detaining law enforcement officials, and for snatching their arms and motorbike.

According to the officials, policemen associated with the Tiger Squad had signaled a van to stop at Thakra Moor (Mandra) for search on Saturday morning.

However, the van driver ignored the police and sped off.

In response, four policemen with two motorbikes decided to chase the fleeing driver, but one of the bikes did not start on time.

As a result, only two constables, identified as Mubeen Jamal and Waqas Masood, chased the driver.

Both constables managed to catch up with the van but it had already entered Dhoke Kashmirian, and the driver, seeing the police at his tail, had telephoned his relatives in the area informing them that he was in trouble.

Therefore, when the two policemen reached the area, villagers appeared on the scene and attacked the two policemen. They then detained both officials for more than two hours, tortured them and snatched their SMGs and the motorbike.

The police said the villagers had later staged a ‘drama’ while informing the local MPA that they had captured two policemen who were trying to rob their homes. They asked the MPA to direct the police and register a case against the two officials.

Reportedly, MPA Mr Bhatti directed the police to register a case against the two constables and following his intervention, the villagers released the two policemen, their weapons and their motorbike.

However, preliminary investigations strengthened the constables’ claim that they had been tortured, and a case was registered against the villagers instead.

When the police reached the village on Saturday evening, they found all the accused missing and their houses locked.

However, one person, Bashir Butt, was found hiding under a charpoy (woven bed) and was picked up by the police.

During the search, the police faced strong retaliation from women villagers who stoned the police, and in response, they beat up the women.

As the police had returned without apprehending the accused, raids continued on Sunday as well, but without success.

When contacted, the station house officer (SHO) Jatli, Nazir Ahmed, said one of the accused (Bashir Butt) identified in the First Investigation Report had been apprehended, while raids were underway to capture others who had a long history of crime.

Inspector Nazir Ahmed, while referring to the MPA’s intervention in the matter, said political people should support their voters but nobody would be allowed to attack the police and violate the law.