RAWALPINDI: As many as 49 police officials and employees, including a traffic warden have been arrested for misuse of powers, backing criminals and under various charges during ongoing tenure of City Police Officer Mohammad Ahsan Younas.

This was perhaps for the first time that a CPO had ordered registration of FIRs against police personnel and ordered their arrests in Rawalpindi district.

Police spokesman said on Wednesday ever since the CPO assumed charge of his office in December 2019, he had pledged to take strict legal action against police officials found involved in crimes of patronizing criminals directly or indirectly.

He said such police personnel would be treated like an accused and strict accountability process was initiated in Rawalpindi police.

He said FIRs had been registered against 49 officers and employees of Rawalpindi police on various charges including keeping people in illegal detention, torturing, operating gambling dens, supporting gamblers, attempted murder, murder, etc.

Police spokesman said all the police personnel nominated in the FIRs have been arrested – except the one – for whom police raids were underway and hopefully he would be captured within next 24 hours.

Majority of the police officials involved in misuse of power and other crimes had been posted in different police stations of Potohar and Rawal divisions.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2020