FAISALABAD, Oct. 24: Show cause notices have been issued to 29 policemen, including a DSP and seven inspectors, for wrong investigation into 49 cases pertaining to the motor registration scandal of the local Excise and Taxation department.

After unearthing the scam, police had registered 49 cases against individuals as well as 13 officials of the department.

Sources said that police investigation teams headed by inspectors — Jamshed Iqbal Chishti, Asadur Rehman, Khuda Yar, Haq Nawaz and sub-inspector Fayyaz Ihsan — under the command of SP Abdullah Khalid raided the excise offices in June, 2004, and arrested E&T officer Farman Masood, excise inspector Jawed Iqbal, clerks Umer Saleem, Abdul Wahid, Muhammad Arif, Rana Shahid, Asim Yousaf, Nasarullah, Muhammad Tariq, Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Asif Bhatti, Saeed Anwar and Muhammad Yousaf Gujjar.

The police registered a case under section 109, 400, 401, 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 PPC on an application of Muhammad Nadeem.

The arrested were charged with running a racket with the help of vehicle-lifters and registering stolen vehicles against genuine documents deposited for the registration of new vehicles.

After preliminary interrogation, the police registered 49 cases. But in a surprise move, the police investigation teams released all but four — Jawed Iqbal, Saleem Alvi, Abdul Wahid and Muhammad Arif. Clerk Asim Yousaf, husband of Sonia Naz, was also among those freed to “arrange more money.”

During an inquiry conducted by DIG Zafar Ahmed Qureshi into the Sonia Naz rape case and preliminary interrogation of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team into the registration scandal, it was found that investigation officials received huge bribes and conducted investigation wrongfully.

Those who have been issued show case notices are DSP Mansoor Ahmed, inspectors Ghulam Abbas, Hasan Mahmood, Muhammad Hussain, Asadur Rehman, Muhammad Imran, Jamshed Iqbal Chishti and Haq Nawaz; sub-inspectors Nasarullah Khan, Muhammad Aashiq, Sardar Muhammad Nasir, Sabir Hussain, Sajjad Hussain, Shaukat Ali, Ghazanfar Ali, Muhammad Nawaz, Abdul Razaq, Muhammad Akram, Fayyaz Ehsan, Shujaat Ali, Sultan Sikandar, Muhammad Aslam, Abdul Rauf, Muhammad Hussain, and assistant sub-inspectors Ejaz Hussain, Ghazanfar Ali, Muhammad Riaz, Sabir Hussain and Zafar Iqbal.