KASUR: Police on Sunday suspended two police officials, including a station house officer, from service and arrested three other officials over escape of five suspected robbers from police custody.

On Saturday, Changa Manga police had arrested five suspects, namely Imran, Tanvir, Manzoor, Javaid and Saleem, and recovered illegal weapons from them. The suspects were wanted by the Phoolnagar police in several cases of robbery.

The first information report stated the suspects had overpowered the police officials when one of the cops opened the lock-up for giving them water.

The police registered a case against Head Constable Shafqat Ali and constables Saeed Muhammad and Faqir Hussain under various sections the Police Order on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Shaukat Ali and detained them in the lock-up of same police post where they were posted.

Changa Manga SHO Muhammad Jaseem and Nawan Kot check post in-charge Ali Muhammad were suspended from service.

Kasur DPO Dr Shahzad Asif constituted a team comprising SHOs Nasarullah Bhatti, Mahmoodul Hassan and Tahir Mahmood for the arrest of five robbers who had fled from police custody. The team arrested one of the escaped alleged robbers, Saleem, and were raiding for the arrest of the others.

The police also arrested 10 relatives of the escaped suspects on charge of facilitating them.

Earlier, the DPO suspended two cops of Chunian Police Station, namely Head constable Muhammad Ashraf and Constable Muhammad Naeem, for allegedly receiving bribe at a picket. The video of cops went viral on social media before action was taken against them.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2018