NAROWAL: Police have filed a first information report against five health workers who are accused of stealing drugs from the Narowal District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and selling them to private clinics and outlets.

In addition, the police recovered a cache of medicines from them and arrested a private clinic doctor for purchasing government drugs.

During a random stop-and-search operation, Narowal city police seized the pharmaceuticals near a picket line on Circular Road. On a chingchi rickshaw, three people were transporting “not for sale” drugs.

The suspects informed the police that they sell the stolen medications to private clinics, medical supply businesses, and hospitals. After recovering a significant supply of official medicines, authorities searched a private clinic in Rasoolpur and arrested a doctor.

On the complaint of Assistant Sub-Inspector Iftikhar Ahmed, the police registered an FIR against Babar Masih, Irfan Masih, Babish Masih, Muhammad Sulaiman and Nazakat Ali, all hospital employees, and Dr Tariq Mehmood, a private person. Of them, Babar, Irfan, Babish, and Dr Tariq were arrested.

The charge of the medicine stock has been with an official for the last 28 years.

Sources say the medicine theft has been going on for the last 10 years.

District Police Officer Hafiz Wahid Mahmood and Deputy Commissioner Shahrukh Niazi ordered urgent action against the suspects, while the DC constituted a committee to investigate the case and suspended the five employees from service.

The deputy commissioner also directed the chief executive officer of health to take departmental action against the health employees in accordance with the Peeda Act of 2006, as well as to refer the case to the Anti-Corruption Establishment. According to patient attendants Abdul Khaliq and Parveen Bibi, the Punjab government’s “not-for-sale” drugs are being sold in medical stores in the hospital’s vicinity.

Parveen Bibi showed officially stamped drugs from her shopping bag, which she purchased from a medical store.

Pharma sales agents Qurban Ali and Arslan Qazafi said two private hospitals in Narowal city and one in Shakargarh were selling government medicines.

OPERATION: During a week-long search for drug dealers and illegal weapons, Sialkot police arrested 276 people.

Up to 920 bottles of local and imported liquor, as well as 164 pistols, were recovered from the arrested individuals.

The police raided Sambarial, Daska and Pasrur and recovered 147kg of hashish, three kilo heroin and one kilo opium.

Eight Klashnikovs, 164 pistols, 15 rifles, 11 firearms, two revolvers and 1,673 rounds were also seized by police.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2022