BAHAWALNAGAR: Local police are allegedly resisting efforts of the health department to lodge an FIR of a highway robbery wherein an ambulance driver was deprived of money by three armed men wearing patrol police uniform.

According to a written complaint by the health department, ambulance driver Ateequr Rehman from the Kot Hamraj Basic Health Unit was shifting a critically ill patient to the emergency in the early hours of Jan 4 in an official ambulance when three armed man in patrol police uniform halted him near Malik Canal.

Police resist health dept effort to lodge FIR

They snatched Rs3,000 in cash and other belongings from Ateeq. When he asked the gunmen to let him leave due to the critical condition of the patient, one of them sought from him details of the staff present at the BHU, their belongings and guards posted there.

Ateeq said the robbers wanted to storm the BHU but after hearing about the presence of four guards, they decided not to make the attempt.

He said they asked him to drop them off at the nearest patrol post.

Ateeq then called 15 and informed the police about the robbery.

A health official told Dawn that despite police being aware of the incident after the driver’s call to 15 and a written application by the department 36 hours ago, the police had not even registered an FIR.

Saddar SHO Shahzad Ashfaq said the police had not received any complaint from the health department. Rejecting the SHO’s statement, Health CEO Dr Naeem Atta said the department had informed the police through a written complaint.

Check post in-charge Rao Irfan said because of fog on the day of the incident, patrol post van was off the road. However, he said the patrol police had set up a picket at a spot near the post. He said every angle, including the involvement of any official of the patrol police, was being investigated.

Patrol police DSP Nasir Ghauri said it was the job of the local police to apprehend those involved in the crime.

Published in Dawn, Jannuary 6th, 2021