KARACHI: While the Sindh police chief ordered an inquiry against DSP Tariq Umair Bajari in another criminal case, a judicial magistrate on Thursday extended his physical remand for one more day in a kidnapping and robbery case.

The DSP and his two gunmen — Constable Khurram Ali and Constable Farhan Ali — and several others have been booked for raiding the house of trader Shakir Khan in Orangi Town on the night between Nov 18 and 19, looting over Rs20 million, jewellery and other valuables and briefly kidnapping the trader and his brother.

On Thursday, the investigating officer produced the DSP before the magistrate and requested the court to extend his remand by one week as the police had to arrest remaining suspects in the case.

The counsel for complainant Shakir also appeared in court and argued that the police had deliberately not invoked relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 to favour the suspects as it was a case of kidnapping for ransom and to be tried by an antiterrorism court.

Probe begins against SSP Qureshi, DSP Bajari; trader’s counsel seeks FIR under anti-terror law

He also asked as to why then SSP-South Imran Qureshi had not been named in the FIR as an accused. He also informed the court that DSP Bajari was also involved in some other criminal cases lodged in other districts of Sindh.

The lawyer for the held DSP opposed the request of remand extension and claimed that the DIG-West and SSP-West were aware of the raid as the SSP-South had informed the DIG before carrying out the raid.

He submitted that instead of naming the West DIG and SSP as accused in the FIR, they had been made inquiry officers. He maintained that the then SSP-South and Defence SHO might be arrested for recovery the remaining stolen articles.

After hearing the parties concerned, Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Bilal Abdullah Qadri extended the police remand of the DSP for one day and directed the IO to produce the suspect again on Friday (today).

A case was registered under Sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 365 (kidnapping or abducing with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 395 (punishment for dacoity), and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Pirabad police station.

Probe into another kidnap case ordered

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Riffat Mukhtar Raja on Thursday ordered an inquiry against former SSP-South Imran Qureshi, DSP Bajari and others on a complaint pertaining to dacoity and kidnapping three citizens including a retired army officer for ransom in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. The IGP appointed South DIG Syed Asad Raza as an inquiry officer.

Complainant Mohammed Mansoor Shaikh submitted an application to the IGP and stated that he was a retired army officer and recently around 15-16 persons had raided his Gulshan-i-Iqbal residence and kidnapped him and two other members of his family.

He said they were taken to the Boat Basin police station, where the police demanded Rs5 million as ‘ransom’ for their release and threatened them of dire consequences in case of non-payment of ransom. Later, they were kept at ‘non-functional’ police post in Shirin Jinnah Colony. In the meantime, his son, Ahmed Raza Shaikh, filed a petition before the Sindh High Court that led to their freedom.

The complainant held SSP Qureshi and DSP Bajari for his ordeal and requested the police chief to conduct an inquiry.

Meanwhile, the IGP on Thursday suspended DSP Bajari “on the grounds of pending departmental proceedings” as well as his involvement in the robbery and kidnap case registered with the Pirabad police station.

“During the period of suspension, he will draw pay and allowances, as admissible to him under the rules,” reads an order issued by the IGP.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2023