KARACHI: Citing lack of evidence against then SSP-South Imran Qureshi in a case pertaining to a robbery during a raid on the house of a trader in Orangi Town, police filed an interim charge sheet before a judicial magistrate stating that some private persons/informers had planned the robbery and used a “federal institution” and police for this purpose.

The investigating officer, DSP Kamal Naseem, filed the interim investigation report before a judicial magistrate (west) in which he chargesheeted DSP Umair Tariq Bajari and 16 other policemen and private persons for dacoity, abduction, house trespass and wrongful confinement.

The IO sought time for submission of the final charge sheet on ground that reports of forensic analysis including CCTV footage, geo-fencing, call data record and cell phones were still awaited.

Referring to an alleged disclosure of suspect Syed Sohail Ali Rizvi, a civilian, before police, the interim charge sheet stated that suspects Mahfooz Hassan and Abdul Sattar owed someone Rs4m and they made a plan to extract money from trader Shakir Khan in order to settle their debt. The duo approached their absconding accomplice, Riaz Carpenter, who facilitated their contact with Rizvi and informer Izhar Ahmed, it added.

IO files interim charge sheet against DSP Bajari, 16 others

It said that Rizvi told Izhar that trader Shakir Khan was associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London and involved in terror financing and facilitating certain individuals and he kept black money and illegal weapons at his house. Izhar had shared the information with an official of a federal institution, who communicated the details to SSP-South Qureshi. The SSP asked DSP Bajari to carry out a raid in collaboration with informer Izhar Ahmed.

The interim charge sheet stated that the raiding team committed the robbery and also abducted trader Shakir and his brother Amir Khan and later released them near the Baloch Colony flyover.

It said that SSP Qureshi told an inquiry committee that he was in Islamabad when he got a call from an official of a federal institution who shared information about an MQM-L financier. He said he entrusted the task to DSP Bajari.

After the raid, it said, DSP Bajari informed him that they brought one iron box and a schoolbag containing cash, jewellery and other articles from the house and also picked up two persons, but private persons/informers set them free.

The IO named DSP and four detained private persons — Izhar, Sattar, Sohail and Rizvi Mahfooz — and three others, who are on bail, as accused.

Nine absconding suspects were also charge sheeted under Section 512 (record of evidence in absence of accused) of the criminal procedure code.

The IO also listed 35 prosecution witnesses in the report and placed the names of SSP Qureshi and constable Azmatullah in column two of the charge sheet with blue link for what he claimed lack of evidence.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2023