DERA GHAZI KHAN, July 17: The alleged mastermind of dacoity at NBP's Notak Mehmeed claimed that Kot Cchutta policemen in plainclothes directed him to flee from the outhouse where the four bandits had taken refuge.

The Border Military Police had arrested Aslam Lashari (25), the alleged harbourer of four bank dacoits, on Friday. He had been provided safe passage of retreat by the Kot Cchutta police before an encounter with bandits on July 8. All the four bandits, confined in a room, had been killed while the DPO received gunshot injuries on his left shoulder.

The BMP officials rounded up Aslam Lashari, who was trying to cross the Punjab border from the tribal area of Dera Ghazi Khan. After his arrest, Dera acting DPO Maqsoodul Hassan and SDPO Maqbool Kamboh along with Choti Zaireen SHO reached Fort Munro to take the custody of the 'high profile' accused.

Sources claimed that the acting DPO had asked the BMP commandant to hand over the accused, but he refused to do so.

Aslam Lashari, the son of Haji Allah Bakhsh, in the lock-up of the BMP told Dawn that he had visited Afghanistan in 1999 as a member of Harkatul Mujahideen while he had his affiliation with Jaish-i-Muhammad as well.

He claimed that the purpose of the bank dacoity was to arrange funds for their militant organization.

Among the four deceased bandits who had looted the bank, three were locals. He identified them as Shamsher, son of Lal Leghari, Zia, son of Murad Leghari of tribal area, Rana Afzal of Fazilpur, Rajanpur district, and Bilal of Rawalpindi.

The arrested outlaw said he had met deceased bandit Afzal Rana in Afghanistan while Shamsher and Zia had been in his company for the last three years.

He maintained that ASI Shafeeq and constable Bashir in plainclothes had come to the outhouse of Gada and Azeem Lashari where he and four dacoits were present. He said the policemen directed him to leave the outhouse before the arrival of a heavy police contingent led by the DPO.

A resident of Rekanain Chah Gull village, he said he was the eldest among five brothers and four sisters while his father was doing business in Dubai. He said he was married and had two girls.

BMP dafedars Hassan Khosa and Haji Zaman brought the accused to Dera in a heavily-guarded motorcade from the tribal area to hand him over to the authorities concerned.

Initially, the BMP produced the accused before judicial magistrate Mahr Aziz Somra. During the hearing, district and sessions judge Zaheer Ahmed Sher directed the authorities to produce the accused in his court. Later, the judge handed over the accused to Choti Zaireen police for a one-week physical remand.