RAWALPINDI: A property tycoon who had been on interim bail in a fraud case was freed from police custody by his armed men as he was being driven to the police station on Tuesday after his bail was cancelled by the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench.

As the LHC judge announced cancellation of the interim bail of accused Nadeem Ijaz, director of a private housing society, the Chontra police took him into custody. The accused was on interim bail from the LHC till Nov 30.

While he was being driven to the police station, some people in four wheel-drive vehicles carrying guns intercepted the police vehicle outside the LHC Rawalpindi building and freed Nadeem Ijaz from police custody and sped off after firing in the air.

Shahzad Mehmood, a senior official of Metropolitan Directorate Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) had registered an FIR with Chontra police against Chaudhry Nadeem Ijaz and Saad Nazir.

He said in the FIR that he along with his staff went to the site of private housing society and found that the owners of the society had been developing the society on illegal land without getting approval of the RDA. Hence, they had been cheating public which was a violation of the Punjab Development of City Act.

The case was registered against the accused but he had obtained interim bail from the court, which was cancelled on Tuesday.

The City Police Officer (CPO) Athar Ismail directed the SP Saddar Kamran Amir to arrest the culprits within 24 hours.

Police raiding teams were constituted to arrest the escapee and his accomplices, the CPO said, adding that anyone who was found giving shelter to the accused would face legal action.

It took several hours to decide the jurisdiction of the crime scene as the LHC premises is located in the limits of Airport police while the outside area is situated in the Morgah police area.

When contacted, CPO Athar Ismail said that an FIR would be registered against the accused on relevant charges, including offering resistance to the police.

He said police raiding teams have been constituted to arrest the escapee and his accomplices.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2021