BAHAWALPUR: The Civil Lines police on Tuesday booked four employees of the new central jail, including an assistant superintendent, for allegedly freeing on Nov 25 a convict serving his sentence.

A first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 223 and 224 of the PPC on the complaint of Deputy Superintendent Sohail Nabi Gill against four personnel, including Assistant Superintendent Zulfiqar Ahmed, Head Warder Muhammad Bakhsh, and warders Zahoorul Hassan and Ghulam Abbas.

Mr Gill alleged that Muhammad Nawaz, of Khan Bela of Liaquatpur tehsil, Rahim Yar Khan district, had been sentenced to 12 years in prison along with a fine of Rs200,000 on Sept 27, 2012.

The case against him was registered under Section 9-C/CNSA by Aab-i-Hayat police station in Rahim Yar Khan on Feb 20, 2011.

During a jail inspection on Nov 25, it was revealed that Nawaz was not present in his barrack. On scrutiny of jail records and further inquiry, Nawaz was found to have been released illegally earlier that day with the connivance of the four nominated suspects.

The district police chief’s spokesman told Dawn that the suspects were neither handed over to police nor arrested.

The police could approach the jail authorities seeking custody of the suspects, he added.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2020