FAISALABAD: Seven policemen were arrested on Friday after registration of cases against them for patronising the criminals.

These policemen, all constables, belonged to various police stations and they were booked following intelligence reports endorsed by the superintendents of police concerned.

Those arrested were identified as Yasir of Ghulam Muhammadabad Police Station, Yasir Hameed of People’s Colony, Shehzad Anjum and Afzal Ahmed of Sahianwala, Shahid Ghaffar of Lundianwala, Hafiz Tanveer of Muridwala and Asif of City Jaranwala Police Station.

They have been booked under Section 155-C of the Police Order on charges of blackmailing the people, patronising the criminals against bribe and misuse of their authority.

Sources said that instead of applying the old method of registration a case only, a departmental probe had been initiated against the policemen so that they could be fixed according to their alleged criminal activities.

Earlier, in the recent past, only cases were registered against the policemen and they would get bail from court the very next day.

A police officer said the accused would succeed to get bail from the court of law as the lawyers, who were facing recent police action, would back them.

He said a couple of days ago the police had raided the houses of various lawyers and arrested some of them or their relatives on charge of resorting to jubilant firing following the results of Punjab Bar Council election on Nov 28.

Following the raids, the lawyers had attacked the Sargodha Road and People’s Colony police stations and succeeded in getting their colleagues released.

CPO Sohail Chaudhry said a probe had been ordered against the arrested policemen and efforts were on to purge the department of wrong elements.

The booked constables have been suspended from service, he added.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2020