FAISALABAD, June 16: The ‘influential’ traders and policemen, who have been nominated in an FIR lodged against them in a case of a plot possession, are yet to be arrested. A case was registered against leading yarn dealers — Khalid Masood alias Khalid Bhola and Sheikh Riaz Ahmad alias Bhola Basiwala — police inspectors, Waheed Shahid and Malik Tariq, and their five accomplices six days ago.

They have been accused of injuring an Elite Force constable during firing on police for forcibly taking possession of a plot, providing shelter to some proclaimed offenders and illegally keeping arms.

Information gleaned by Dawn on Thursday revealed that Khalid Masood and Sheikh Riaz had been running their business in Sootar Mandi as usual, and allegedly striking a deal with police investigators despite institution of a case against them by DSP (Headquarters) Chaudhry Mumtaz Ahmad. The case was lodged under section 109, 148, 149, 186, 324, 353, 427, 448 of PPC and 13/20/65 AO and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Sources claimed that the police had demanded Rs6 million from the suspects to hush up the high-profile case. The traders, they said, had agreed to pay the amount to the police on the condition that the matter of the disputed Rs100 million residential plot would also be ‘resolved’ with the Riaz Sehgal party.

Sources close to investigators said the issue had been given a false colouring by some police officials for personal gains. They said Riaz Sehgal’s group enjoyed the support of a senior police investigator while the group nominated in the FIR was being backed by some top bureaucrats and senior politicians.

It may be recalled that a police team raided a residential plot on the Canal Road in Saddar police station precinct to get it vacated from some armed people a week ago.

During an exchange of fire with the inmates, constable Arif Husain and two members of the group suffered injuries. Karam Elahi, one of the injured, died at a hospital.

The police had registered a case against some local yarn dealers, three police inspectors and others.