MUZAFFARGARH: Police on Thursday arrested ex-MNA Jamshed Ahmad Dasti in Multan in the ‘oil-tanker robbery’ case.

Chowk Qureshi police had registered a case against Mr Dasti and his men under sections 395, 365, 170 and 171 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), arresting three of the suspects, while the ex-MNA was at large.

Police said on Dec 24 [midnight] an oil tanker going to Multan from Dera Ghazi Khan was stopped by a `police van` near Muzaffargarh. After stopping the tanker four men in elite force uniforms took the driver and his helper, along with the tanker to an unidentified place, where they thrashed both of them and shifted oil worth Rs4 million to another tanker.

The criminals kept the driver and helper detained for two days before they were released. After three days, oil tanker`s owner approached District Police Officer Nadeem Abbas with the [tanker] driver and informed him about the incident.

The DPO constituted a team under city DSP Azmat Gurmani which after investigation traced and arrested an elite force personnel, Farrukh Shehzad, who confessed to have committed the crime.

During investigation, the suspect reportedly told police that ex-MNA Dasti and his men had also been involved in the crime since long.

On the basis of his statement, the police booked Mr Dasti and others, arresting an ex-Union Council chairman Ajmal Karlo and businessman Abid Malana.

According to Geo TV, Dasti was arrested in Multan Cantt area while he was trying to reach the high court to seek bail [in the oil-tanker robbery case].

Police said 32 cases had been registered against Dasti. In 2018, police had arrested him when he broke the water gate of a minor of the Muzaffargarh canal. He remained behind bars for months. In 2012, he was nominated in a case of atttack on doctors of Muzaffargarh DHQ hospital. He has also faced a fake degree case.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2020