ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Hanif Abbasi’s son was caught along with his friends stealing traffic cones from G-9, but was set free allegedly due to political interference, police sources told Dawn.

The sources said traffic assistant sub-inspector Iqbal Ahmed spotted three people stealing traffic cones from a road in G-9/4 which had been placed to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

After stealing the cones, the three people tried to escape in a car, but the ASI managed to intercept them after a brief chase. Later, they were shifted to the Margalla police station along with the cones worth Rs4,000.

The three were identified as Hamad Abbasi, Bhawal Khan and Saeedur Rehman. A case was registered against them on charges of theft and recovery of stolen property.

However, they were later released under political influence.

According to the sources, the accused were released and the bail paper was submitted after the Margalla police set them free.

Inspector General of Police Sikandar Hayat, when asked why the accused had been released, said the police had the power to delay arrest. However, he was reluctant to address the involvement of any politician in the release.