RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) fact-finding committee has started investigating the suicide of a suspected human smuggler in the toilet of a Anti-Human Smuggling Cell lockup on Tuesday.

According to sources, the committee reviewed the record regarding his detention and of the FIA officials deployed on guard duty and other four suspects kept in the cell with the suspect.

On the other hand, the FIA handed the body of the suspect over to his family after the postmortem conducted at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

However, initial postmortem examination showed no torture marks on his body except for waistband mark around his neck. The suspected human smuggler, who was in his 60s, hailed from Peshawar and was arrested from his residence in Bhara Kahu .

Later, he was handed over to the FIA’s anti-human trafficking cell (AHTC) as he was wanted in connection with the human smuggling case.

The FIA had claimed that the suspect had committed suicide by hanging with his waistband in the toilet of the lockup. He had been given to the FIA on June 19 on a four-day remand.

FIA Islamabad director Waqar Chauhan requested the Islamabad Sessions Judge for judicial inquiry into the incident and also suspended the FIA police station SHO Kashif Alvi along with duty officer Mohammad Bilal, chief constable Masood Bacha and head constable William Shehzad.

On the other hand, FIA Director General Sanaullah Abbasi formed a three-member committee headed by Additional Director General North Abu Bakar Khuda Bakhsh to inquire into the matter.

Abu Bakar will join the three-member committee on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2021