FAISALABAD: Five policemen, including Samundri city police in charge were arrested on Sunday following the escape of six suspects allegedly involved in robbery, murder, theft and kidnapping, from police station lockup.

Following the suspects escape, the City Police Officer Afzaal Ahmed Kausar visited Samundri police station and interrogated the police officials on duty.

The CPO then suspended Station House Officer Inspector Aamir Khan, Moharrar Azhar and three constables, who were arrested on the spot and a case was registered against them.

Sources said the suspects had been kept in the lockup for a couple of days and they managed to escape by breaking a portion of its rear wall which was dilapidated.

They said the suspects also snatched a rifle from an on-duty constable.

The escaped suspects -- Rehmat Ali and Ghafoor Hussain of Bhaiwala, Nadeem of Hajvery Town and Qasim were detained in connection with a robbery case registered on January 12, this year. Similarly, Abu Bakar of Shareefabad, Samundri, was arrested on charge of theft-cum-murder in a case registered on January 8, 2016, while Nasir Ali of Lahore was booked for theft.

Area people said a number of times the police officials had been informed about the alleged wrongdoing of the SHO, however, police bosses did not bother to move against him or ensure monitoring of his performance.

According to the sources, one of the suspects, Nadeem, had been arrested again from Sheikhupura.

The sources said that Nadeem told the investigators that after escaping from the police station, he and his eight other accomplices threw the rifle they had snatched from a constable in nearby fields. Three days ago, three detained suspects -- Imran, Ibrahim and Farooq — had escaped from Ali Pur Banglow police post of the Jaranwala Saddar police.

A probe into the issue is underway.

Talking to Dawn, the CPO denied that nine people had escaped from the lockup. He claimed that police had a complete record of those detained in the lockup.

He said a case had been registered against the policemen who failed to perform their duty efficiently, resulting in escape of the detainees.

He said the suspended policemen would be given punishment according to the rules.

He said a probe into conduct of Jaranwala Saddar police would also be concluded within a couple of days.

Published in Dawn, February 20th , 2017