ISLAMABAD: Policemen’s involvement in robbery and other crimes is not something new as in October 2013 the then interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan had pointed out this malady and asked the then IG and chief commissioner to purge the police force of corrupt elements.

The minister asked them to seek help from intelligence agencies in identifying such elements.

In response, over 120 corrupt officials including DSPs, inspectors and sub-inspectors were identified for being involved in crime but no action has been taken against them even after four years.

In two recent incidents, five officials of the capital police were found involved in robbery and burglary and one of them was arrested by armed forces personnel, sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

In the first incident, a constable from Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the capital police was caught by the armed forces personnel while trying to snatch a car.

Asad Khan, a native of Charsadha, used to run his Toyota Atlas on rent, an FIR registered at Noon police station stated, adding that a man booked his vehicle in Charsadda for Islamabad against a rent of Rs4,000. When they reached Choongi No 26 they stopped to offer Maghrib prayers where the passenger was joined by three other people and one of them was carrying a pistol.

They introduced themselves as policemen and boarded the car, and asked the driver to move to the rear seat, and one of them sit in the driving seat.

When they reached at Jhangi Sayyedan the victim saw some people in uniform and started crying for help.

The armed forces men not only got him freed but one of the robbers was caught and handed over to the police.

In the second incident, four policemen, including an SI were also found involved in a burglary at a house of first secretary of Korean Embassy in Islamabad, the officials stated, adding that the criminal activity conducted in police uniform came to the knowledge when the diplomat gave evidence, including CCTV footage of the crime to the police.

According to an FIR registered with Kohsar police, upon his return from Korea the first secretary of the embassy found his house broken into and valuables missing.

The Kohsar police stated that the victim provided CCTV footage of the burglary. A group of seven people committed the crime and four were from F-11 police Chowki.

After the registration of a case, an inquiry was initiated which revealed that police team of F-11 Chowki raided the diplomat’s house illegally, a police officer told Dawn adding that the in-charge did not inform the Kohsar police station as the house was located in their limits and later they took the valuables and liquor for which the diplomat has permit to F-11 and kept in a room there.

The Kohsar police stated that they had arrested three people involved in the crime, but all the four police officials were still at large.

First Secretary of Korean Embassy in Islamabad Hyon Ki Jong was not available for his comments over the burglary.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2017