NAROWAL: Three constables of Daska Sadar police have been arrested for kidnapping two men after picking them up over suspicion, illegally detaining them in a private torture cell, and demanding ransom from their relatives for their release.

Daska city Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Mohammad Akram Shehbaz says that he was on patrol along with his team, when a caller on 15 helpline informed about kidnapping of two men of Daska for ransom.

The SHO said that District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Hasan Iqbal took notice of the incident and ordered him to take immediate action against the kidnappers and recover the victims.

He said that using human intelligence and modern technology, a police team headed by him raided a compound in Daska Sadar area and recovered the two kidnapped men.

The SHO said that during investigation it transpired that three employees of Daska Sadar police station had arrested Abdul Rahman and Abdullah from Pasrur Bypass on suspicion.

However, instead of shifting the “suspects” to the police station, the police constables took them to a private place, they had been using as a torture cell.

According to police sources,constables Iftikhar, Fayyaz Ahmed and Saleem illegally detained the two men in the private torture cell and demanded Rs500,000 from their relatives for their release.

On the complaint of Inspector Shahbaz, Daska city police have registered a kidnapping FIR against the three constables, and arrested them. They were also suspended from service.

The DPO says there is no place for such employees in Punjab police who give a bad name to their department.

He has also ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter and sought a report from Daska Sadar SHO on it.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2024