FAISALABAD: Police have expressed their inability to investigate a gang of thieves involved in stealing rickshaws due to alleged backing of a ruling party politician.

Worse still, the Razaabad police are said to have asked the complainants to approach the influential figure by themselves and help police impartially grill the suspect. Police admit they have recovered stolen rickshaws from the man who was earlier let off the hook by the Ghulam Muhammadabad police.

Sources said the Ghulam Muhammadabad police were first to arrest a man who during the course of investigation, confessed to stealing rickshaws and selling these to another person. Many people complained to police about the incidents hoping that their rickshaws would be recovered but the officials released the suspect and did not raid the outlet they had pointed out.

Meanwhile, a poor driver said the rickshaw was his sole source of earning and he had to pay for the treatment of his wife who was suffering from cancer besides meeting other expenses.

Complainants cry out for recovery of their rickshaws

“After theft of my rickshaw, I have become a rolling stone between the offices of police officers... now I have come to know that my rickshaw has been recovered by the Razaabad police,” he told Dawn.

He said he had gone to the Razaabad police station to identify the thieves and his vehicle and police showed him the rickshaw but did not allow him to see the gangsters. He said his rickshaw had been damaged by the gang and policemen told him that he had to accept the vehicle as police could not do anything to have it repaired.

Another person (who accompanied the complainant) said the Razaabad police had told them to meet the political figure if they wanted the possession of the stolen rickshaw.

He said first the Thekriwala police (in whose jurisdiction the rickshaw was stolen) were not ready to register a case of theft and now the Razaabad police were not cooperating with them.

“We visited the Razaabad police station on Tuesday night to identify the thief. However, the police did not allow us to identify the suspect and rather told us to go to the residence of the politician and convince him to stop backing the gang thus, allowing police to investigate the case,” he said, adding that they were now making efforts to approach him.

The complainants said they had urged police to arrest the man who buys the stolen rickshaws. Police, he alleged, were reluctant to raid his workshop and house on the pretext that “whenever officials raid his place, he hides behind the women who scare police away by using abusive language.”

A police official, who spoke to this correspondent on the request of anonymity, claimed that there was no question of succumbing to pressure and they would deal with every case on merit. “The Punjab government has given a free hand to police to investigate cases without succumbing to illegal demands of the politicians,” he said, reiterating that the rickshaw thieves’ gang would not be spared.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2020