RAWALPINDI: A university software engineering student, who sought police protocol for his parents returning after performing Haj by posing as the public relations officer (PRO) to the Punjab chief minister, was caught and sent to the Adiala jail on Friday.

According to police sources, Hamza Feroz, a resident of Gulraiz Colony, telephoned the police security branch introducing himself as the PRO to the chief minister and asked for police deployment along the route starting from Golra Mor to Soan Camp for the CM’s family.

The chief security officer (CSO) of Special Branch got suspicious after receiving the phone call and verified the PRO who turned out to be fake. The CSO informed the city police officer and also alerted the police to intercept the man.

The police spotted a luxury car with flashing blue revolving light and Pakistan’s flag on its front recklessly driven in Naseerabad area. Hamza Feroz along with his brother, a lawyer by profession, was going to the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) in the car to receive his parents returning from Haj.

When the police investigated the two individuals it transpired that Hamza was not a PRO to the chief minister.

Superintendent of Police (investigation) Mohammad Faisal told Dawn that the two brothers were taken into custody and later the customs staff was called to verify the documents of the vehicle that also turned out to be non-customs paid.

He said the vehicle was impounded by the customs staff while the student claiming to be the PRO to the chief minister was sent to Adiala jail. However, his brother obtained a pre-arrest bail.

It also emerged that the father of the two men had been dealing in auto spare-parts for the last 30 years.

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has already directed all administrative departments and divisional and district police chiefs not to entertain requests made in person or on phone by unknown persons posing themselves as his relatives.

The directives were given after it was observed that some people had falsely represented themselves as relatives of the chief minister in order to get favour from the district administration and police.

The CM office warned all the administrative departments that if any such request was received by any officer, it should be brought into the notice of the authorities concerned, including the principal secretary to the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019