GUJRAT: ASI Shoaib Shah of Gujrat police, who has been arrested on the allegation of kidnapping people for ransom and drug peddling, has also turned out to be the main suspect in torching three cars near Sara-i-Alamgir which police had found along a road on Sept 27 last.

Sources said the official had also been involved in arresting and freeing some members of a gang that would loot money from ATM machines of banks in various parts of Gujrat and had received a hefty amount as well as got a house transferred in his name under a shady deal.

They said the three cars which were badly damaged and found at a village located along Upper Jhelum canal near Sara-i-Alamgir remained in the use of the members of the alleged gang.

The ASI, sources said, confessed during initial investigation that the vehicles were torched by him and his accomplices.

On Monday, the Civil Lines police had lodged three cases against the ASI who allegedly kidnapped two persons and got Rs2.5 million ransom and Rs3.5 million were yet to be paid according to a deal. Police claimed to have recovered 10kg hash and a Kalashnikov from his house.

A senior official of Gujrat police told Dawn that since the matter of the ATM cash thieves did not fall in the police jurisdiction as cyber crime was the domain of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the ASI kept blackmailing the gang.Police are investigating the case of drawing cash from ATM machines by installing secret devices.

ASI Shoaib Shah and constable Malik Fakhar, a co-accused in the kidnap for ransom case, had been dismissed from service on corruption charges a few months ago by the then DPO, Rai Zameeerul Haq. The Gujranwala regional police officer had reinstated both of them around six to seven weeks ago and ASI was posted in-charge of Shahdaula police pocket.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2016