BAHAWALNAGAR: A police official who was dismissed from service in a case of kidnap for ransom and reinstated on March 1 after one year has now been suspended from service on the charge of operating a gang involved in vehicle theft.

Police sources said a tractor-trailer worth Rs1.9 million of Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Basti Qamar Din Haans, was stolen from a filling station in Rojhanwali area on the evening of March 7. A case was registered at the A-Division police station against unidentified thieves on the complaint of the vehicle owner on March 10.

They said that on March 19, police arrested Mudassar and Mubashar, residents of Basti Chaveka, in this case. The suspect during the investigation revealed that they had stolen the vehicle with the help of Usman from Multan on the instructions of constable Aqib deputed at the police lines, Bahawalnagar, said sources. The gang members admitted their involvement in theft incidents with the blessings of Aqib, sources revealed.

Suspension comes days after the official was reinstated

A-Division police SHO Razzaq Ahmad told Dawn that Mudassar and Mubashar who belong to the native area of constable Aqib stole the vehicle with the help of Usman at the behest of Aqib. The suspect sold the tractor-trailer to Abdus Salam of Jahanian for Rs220,000 and the amount was received by Aqib, he said.

He said the police had recovered the vehicle and the money from the suspects and also arrested Abdus Salam. He said the case was further being investigated.

Aqib was one of the five-member raiding team of the B-Division police led by SI Jawad who kidnapped Manzoor Ahmad and Khursheed on Feb 5, 2021, at Arifwala. The officials had demanded Rs2 million ransom from their families after taking them hostages at the B-Division police station. The IGP took notice of the incident after the issue was highlighted in this paper on April 3 last and Bahawalnagar DPO Zaffar Buzdar, after investigating the matter, dismissed SHO Matloob Ahmad, constables Aqib and Ehsan from service.

Matloob got relief and was reinstated about three months ago whereas constables Aqib and Ehsan were also reinstated on March 1.

DPO’s spokesperson Shehzad Ishfaq told Dawn that Aqib after being reinstated had not been posted at any police station and he was still deputed at the police lines. He said those found involved in the vehicle theft had been suspended on March 22 on the instruction of the DPO and a regular inquiry had been assigned to Minchinabad SDPO Muhammad Saleem.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2022