GUJRAT: The Anti-Terrorism Court of Gujranwala has accepted the bail plea of Inspector Sajid Nazir of the Gujrat police who had been booked along with two other policemen on the allegation of picking up some people at Kharian and releasing them after taking Rs2.8 million.

The decision came after the complainant informed the court on Friday that he had mentioned the name of Inspector Sajid due to some misunderstanding. The court, however, extended for three days the physical remand of the other accused -- police officials Mushtaq and Naeem and Javed Gujjar, a known social figure in Dinga.

The Kharian Saddar police had registered a case under sections 365A, 34 and 109 of PPC and Section 155C of the Police Order 2002 against CIA police in-charge Sajid Nazir, ASI Muhstaq Ahmad and head constable Naeem. They also acted against businessman Javed Gujjar who actually brokered a deal between the police and the complainant party to secure the release of Khalil and Yasir.

The policemen allegedly got Rs2.8 million through Gujjar, who owns one of the biggest marriage halls near Amra Kalan along Kharian-Mandi Bahauddin Road, as the complainant had sought his (Gujjar’s) help to act as guarantor in a deal.

Sources said Inspector Sajid reached an agreement with the complainant with the blessings of some police officials and through intervention by a legislator.

The CIA officials had raided a hideout near Kharian and claimed to have detected an illegal telephone exchange and detained seven people including Khalil and Yasir, who were said to be the owners of the exchange. The police demanded Rs3 million from the two owners whereas five others had secured their release after greasing the palms of the police.

The owners of the telephone exchange are said to be Spanish nationals, who immediately after paying Rs2.8 million to the police, departed for Spain. Their family contacted a ruling party MNA to help bring the perpetrators to book.

The MNA initially contacted Gujrat DPO Rai Ijaz Ahmad for registration of a case against the policemen but later preferred mediation as Inspector Sajid turned out to be a nephew of a former PML-N MPA who also used his influence.

The ex-MPA told the MNA that the inspector was about to be promoted as DSP and therefore should be bailed out.

Head-Constable Naeem also surrendered to the Kharian police on Thursday and confessed to receiving only Rs600,000. He exonerated the inspector of the charge of getting money.

He told the investigators that Rs2.2 million had not been received from the middleman, Javed Gujjar.

Meanwhile, DPO Rai Ijaz has changed the investigation officer by showing mistrust on Kharian DSP Abdul Qayyum Gondal and Saddar SHO Nawaz Gujjar. Lalamusa DSP Muhammad Usman will now interrogate the arrested police officials who had already been charge sheeted and suspended from service.

A case is also being prepared by the DPO to dismiss the officials as many more complaints against Inspector Sajid have been reported.

DPO Rai Ijaz told Dawn that the CIA officials had committed another crime by not referring the matter of illegal telephone exchange to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which was competent to deal with such crimes.

They also flew in the face of the protocol for carrying out any operation, he said, pledging to take appropriate action against the guilty.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2014