FAISALABAD, Oct 24: Officials of six police stations of the city are receiving bribe from gambling den owners to allow them continue their illegal business without any fear. According to an inquiry conducted by a superintendent of police, most policemen of Faisalabad city are making money in connivance with gambling den owners.

The inquiry, conducted by Madina Town SP Sadiq Dogar, was initiated to ascertain the role of some police officials in helping gambling den owner Attique expand his 'business'. Attique was arrested by Ghulam Mohammadabad police on Aug 5.

During the preliminary investigation, Attique said he bribed policemen Asmatullah Pano, Nasrullah, Malik Zaffar, Abid Zafar, Naveed Murtaza and many others, who served as SHOs at Ghulam Mohammadabad Police Station at different times.

The SP recommended punishment for the SHOs named by Attique and sent his report to the CPO. He noted in his report that the police investigator who grilled Attique destroyed the evidence, which could have helped police tracing more dens. He noted that scores of well-organised groups led by Mehr Bhola, Amin Butt and 62 others were involved in gambling.

He said gambling was thriving in the precincts of Rail Bazaar, Kotwali, Ghulam Mohammadabad, Gulberg, Jhang Bazaar and Factory Area police stations in connivance with SHOs. He said entire staff of these police stations was benefiting from this illegal business.

The SP said SHO Pano served at Ghulam Mohammadabad Police Station for four months, but he did not raid Attique's gambling den. Later, Pano's subordinate was assigned the duty to arrest Attique. He said gunmen and employees of special squad, CIA and union council squads had been receiving bribe from people involved in criminal activities.

All these SHOs rejected Attique's allegations when the CPO quizzed them.

The SP said that Attique, who admitted that he had been running his gambling den for six years, did not name inspectors Shahid and Rana Mazhar and sub-inspector Asghar Sandhu during the investigation on the basis of his personal likes and dislikes.

He said evidence was available against inspectors Zafar Iqbal, Naveed Murtaza and Abid Zafar, SI Mansoor Sadiq and ASI Khalid, but a major punishment could not be recommended for them. He said minor penalty was sufficient for these policemen.