GUJRAT, May 7: The Lalamusa Saddar police, on the orders of DSP headquarters on Tuesday, registered a dacoity case against Pakistan Tobacco Company, Jhelum, employees after 13 days of the incident, it was learnt.

In an application to police, Jhelum tobacco company Security Manager Maj Muhammad Sadiq (retired) stated a trailer (LSB-7451), laden with cigarettes worth Rs9.7 million, left for Hyderabad on April 10, 2002 at 10:05pm.

He wrote drivers Hazrat Ghani and Fazal Ghani, conductor Niaz Muhammad and security guard Imdad Husain were aboard. He stated Husain informed the Jhelum authorities at 11.00pm on April 11 that some 10 dacoits intercepted the trailer, abducted all the four crew and released them at 10:05pm the same day near Garmala, Rohtas Road, Jhelum.

He quoted Husain as saying the bandits drove away with the vehicle.

The complainant had requested the police to take action against the trailer crew who, he claimed, were involved in the incident.

The press release issued from SSP’s office on April 13 revealed the facts did not support the claims of the complainant. Suspicious about the nature of the incident, the police said the complainant did not mention the place where the trailer had been intercepted.

The initial inquiry conducted by police revealed they had scrutinized record of the Gujranwala PTC, showing the trailer’s number had been entered on the daily register which meant it did not met with any incident in the locality.

The police also provided a documentary proof to newsmen in this regard.

Police sources told this correspondent on Monday that the trailer’s crew had given dubious statements to the police which had made the matter more mysterious.

However, after registration of FIR No 54796, which still did not indicate where the incident took place, a policeman quoted SHO Raza Awan as saying the trailer crew was innocent.

A police source informed, on the condition of anonymity, the Jhelum PTC authorities had given bribe to police for registration of a case to conceal their embezzlement.