FAISALABAD, April 27: The People’s Colony police got a two-day physical remand of two traffic wardens for the 'recovery' of a weapon used in injuring a restaurant owner and his employees, police sources said on Sunday.

At least 18 traffic wardens, including the son of an SP, were booked on Saturday for ‘torturing’ the owner of Fried Chicks restaurant and its employees on Friday night. Magistrate Qasim Ali Bhatti granted the remand on police request for 'weapons recovery'.

Reports said that two traffic wardens in civvies asked the security guard of the restaurant situated on Susan Road to remove wrongly-parked vehicles, but the guard resisted to follow their instructions. Both sides then engaged in heated arguments which led to a violent clash between wardens and restaurant employees. Later, the owner reportedly also joined his employees and severely thrashed wardens Suleman and Sohaib. The employees also ripped to shreds the uniform of one of the wardens besides injuring him badly.

Sources said upon informing their colleagues, about a dozen wardens, including Kashif Mushtaq, son of Saddar SP Mushtaq Ahmed, and Madina Town TPO Malik Yousaf, rushed to the spot and took both parties to the police station.

After hearing the two parties, sources said, the TPO ordered the registration of a case against wardens. On the complaint of Zafar Goraya, police booked Sohaib, Kashif Mushtaq, Suleman and 15 unidentified wardens under sections 148, 199, 155, 156-c, 337-L2, F1 and A2.

Police arrested Sohaib and Suleman while Kashif was still at large.

Requesting anonymity, a traffic warden said that his colleagues were booked on the direction of an influential political figure.

He said the restaurant owner had sound relations with a PPP provincial minister belonging to Faisalabad who influenced the police, though the wardens were badly thrashed.

He alleged that wardens were being meted out step-motherly-treatment in the district merely because the force was introduced by the former rulers.

People’s Colony SHO Jehangir Khan claimed that wardens thrashed hotel employees and owner even in the presence of senior police officers. They did not even bother to abide by the instructions of the high-ups.

He said surveillance cameras installed at the restaurant also showed that wardens barged into the hotel and thrashed employees before reaching the police force there.

Regarding the arrest of remaining wardens, he said police had yet to identify them.

The TPO dispelled the impression that the case was registered on the direction of any political stalwart. He said the two wardens in plainclothes misused their powers as they were not on duty. He said the wardens had gone there for dinner.