GUJRAT: Four policemen, including a sub-inspector, have been booked on murder charges by Lorry Adda police after a suspect died in the lock-up of Garhi Ahmedabad police picket, allegedly because of severe physical torture.

Sources said the police had picked two suspects, Shahroz Haider Qureshi and Naeem Ahmed, both residents of Garhi Ahmedabad loclaity, in connection with a gold ornaments snatching case lodged with the Lorry Adda police station.

However, during interrogation, the condition of Shehroz deteriorated due to alleged police torture and he was taken to a private hospital near Jail Chowk, where doctors declared him ‘dead on arrival’.

The police officials then shifted the body to the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH) and fled away. The hospital doctors later conducted the autopsy and the body was handed over to the family of the deceased.

A Gujrat police spokesperson says that Taking notice of the incident, District Police Officer (DPO) Asad Muzaffar suspended the picket in-charge SI Muhammad Ali and three other policemen from service.

The DPO has assured the family of the deceased of provision of justice, saying physical torture of a detained suspect could not be tolerated.

He said police teams have been constituted to arrest the suspects.

Lorry Adda police have registered a case against the four policemen, including the picket in-charge under sections 302, 342, 34 and 155C of Pakistan Penal Code on the report of Sub Inspector Abdul Hayee of Dinga police station.

No arrest could be made so far, the spokesperson adds.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2024