LAHORE: The Gulshan-i-Iqbal SHO on Saturday escaped to avoid arrest shortly after the Lahore DIG Operations suspended him from service for torturing a citizen.

The DIG suspended five other policemen who were arrested and sent behind the bars. A team conducted raids for the arrest of SHO Iqbal Nadeem Khalid against whom action was taken in the light of an inquiry carried out by an SP and later by DIG Operations Sohail Chaudhry.

Mr Chaudhry told Dawn that the SHO tortured a citizen who complained about a case though he himself had a criminal record. He said as the matter came to his notice and a video clip surfaced, he ordered the SP to probe the matter and submit him report.

The DIG said the SP in his inquiry found the torture allegation true and also reported him that the SHO was trying to mislead him by changing his statement. He said he later himself launched the inquiry, called and questioned the policemen including the SHO and found him and five others guilty of the charges and he issued suspension orders of all of them.

The DIG said the SHO managed to escape to avoid arrest which was another gross misconduct he committed. He said a team would track down the SHO and warned that illegal detention and torture in custody would not be tolerated at any cost.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2021