KARACHI, Jan 18: Two brothers were picked up by the Anti-car Lifting Cell (ACLC) on Jan 13 on Super Highway and declared car hijackers in haste. However, investigation proved them innocent and they were released subsequently.

Police sources, who asked not to be named, said two men were taken into custody with a car (ABZ-180) on Sunday (Jan 13) morning near Toll Plaza on Super Highway by an ACLC team headed by DSP Haider Bux Khoso. The ACLC had issued a press release stating that they had arrested Sajjad Husain and Jawwad Husain with “a hijacked car (ABZ-180)” and further investigation was in progress. The news appeared in a section of the press where the names of other suspects involved in the alleged car hijacking were also mentioned.

A forensic examination was carried out by a team of experts which closely examined the engine and chassis numbers of the car and declared them “not tampered with.” Police also verified the papers of the car with the excise department and other places concerned, and no irregularity was found. The two brothers, Sajjad, a retired captain of merchant navy, and Jawwad, an engineer in an airlines, had been kept in custody for two days, and later they were set free.

The sources said at the time of seizure of the car at Toll Plaza Sajjad and Jawwad were ordered to sit in the back seat of their own car and a policeman drove the car to the ACLC police station. On way to the police station the policeman chased a suspicious car to arrest its occupants, who escaped. The sources said the two brothers complained to police high-ups about the incident, saying if a shooting had taken place and any of the two brothers were injured or killed, who were to be held responsible for it.

The sources said no departmental or any other action by police or by the government had been taken so far against the officials involved in harassing the innocent citizens and tarnishing their reputation. Besides, the sources said, the car was misused, and no action had, so far, been taken on this count too against the official/officials concerned.

SSP ACLC Abdul Razzak Cheema told Dawn that the two men were picked up on suspicion as the chassis number of their car appeared to be tampered with. He said three keys of different cars and a steel ruler, usually used by car hijackers, were also recovered from their car, and the occupants of the car failed to satisfy police about the reason for keeping these things. “We took the car’s possession for the purpose of verification and did not want to take the occupants into custody, but they had accompanied police of their own will,” he added.

A forensic examination was conducted and its findings confirmed that the numbers were genuine. After the verification, the detained men were released, he added.

He acknowledged that it was a blunder by police that their names were sent to the press, which should not have been done. “We have no malafide intention. Our people showed the arrest immediately as people object to police keeping suspects in detention for several days without showing their arrest on record,” he added.

The same day, the sources said, Saeed Akhtar was picked up for his involvement in car hijacking at Ocean Hotel in district South and shown as arrested at Toll Plaza. Police frisked him and allegedly took out money from his pocket. Later on, he was released.

Mr Cheema said Saeed was arrested with Mumtaz, who was still in custody. The investigation showed that Saeed was a spare parts dealer and was not involved in car hijacking, after which he was set free. He said Rs38,500 and a mobile phone were seized from Saeed, which were returned to him at the time of his release.