ISLAMABAD: Owners of a restaurant at F-7 Markaz have approached the Islamabad’s police chief, seeking legal action against two officials who allegedly extorted over Rs1.4 million from them.

Waqas Babar, one of the owners of the restaurant, told Dawn on Friday that they had submitted a written complaint to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Nasir Ali Rizvi, informing him about the whole incident and the alleged illegal activities of a former station house officer (SHO) and additional SHO of Kohsar police station.

In their complaint, they regretted that the two police officials despite facing an inquiry over the incident had now been transferred to Shalimar Police Station on better positions.

Mr Babar alleged that the police officials demanded money after threatening them to falsely implicate them and the hotel staff, if their demands were not met.

Providing details of the incident, Mr Babar said that on January 1, a police team conducted a raid on their restaurant during which the police officials misbehaved with customers, particularly those availing Sheesha services at the rooftop.

The police also confiscated restaurant’s property worth over a million rupees, besides arresting 14 staff members.

The confiscated items included imported Sheesha equipment, flavour stock, coal boxes, pipes, DVR units, staff mobile phones, and some other personal belongings. He stated that some of the items were retuned but others valuing upto Rs900,000 were still in police custody.

Later, Mr Babar said, he was forced to transfer Rs300,000 to a bank account provided by the acting SHO and pay an additional Rs200,000 in cash. Despite securing bail for his employees, he said, the harassment continued, with police making repeated threats falsely implicating them by planting and showing recovery of ice and other narcotic substances in the recovery memo.

Mr Babar disclosed that he had recorded a video of the acting SHO showing him admitting to have received extortion money, which led to initiation of an inquiry against the police officials under the supervision of the deputy inspector general of police (DIG).

In his complaint to the IGP, Mr Babar expressed his concern over the slow process of inquiry, besides stating that he had been summoned repeatedly and made to wait for hours.

According to him, the officials under inquiry have been “rewarded” with better postings, raising concerns about their ability to influence the investigation.

Mr Babar has now requested the IGP to expedite the inquiry. He has also sought protection from undue pressure, harassment, or coercion and demanded the return of the confiscated items and personal belongings.

Senior police officials did not respond to the queries sent to them to seek their version on the issue.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2025