ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: As the Supreme Court on Monday ordered probe by a senior police official into a car racing tragedy in which five people were killed, two accused in the case left the country, Dawn has learnt.

Expressing its dissatisfaction over a junior officer investigating “such an important case,” the three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, directed the Punjab's provincial police officer (PPO) to appoint the regional police officer (RPO) of Rawalpindi to probe the tragic event.

Five persons were killed on December 5 in Rawalpindi after a car in a drag race went out of control and ploughed into spectators. The SC took notice of the incident, and summoned PPO Punjab Tariq Salim Dogar, Commissioner Rawalpindi Zahid Saeed, RPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Imdadullah Bosal, City Police Officer (CPO) Fakhar Sultan, and Mohammad Zahid, investigating officer.

However sources told Dawn that two accused – Ali Riaz, son of property tycoon Malik Riaz, and Walid Khan, marketing manager of Bahria Town – have left the country in the wee hours of Sunday.

Sources said they were taken to the Banazir Bhutto International Airport in a tinted glass vehicle of a senior officer of the capital police as they boarded an international flight around 4:30am. A contingent of the capital police's commandos escorted the vehicle in which the senior police officer and the two accused were travelling.

Sources said Majid Naeem, who was driving the car that lost control and hit spectators, is son of Khaild Naeem Sufi, a retired federal secretary. Atif Shaikh, one of the event's organisers, is the son-in-law of Tariq Aziz, who was principal secretary of former president Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf. Mr Aziz was present at the event as a chief guest to distribute prizes among winners, sources said. He immediately left the place after the tragic incident.

The SC bench's order said apparently without the blessing of police officers, it was not possible for the organisers to hold the event. “We do not want to make comments but, prima-facie, it indicates that without the blessings of the police officers it was impossible for the organisers to have held the event of car racing on December 5.”

DCO Bosal told the court that he had refused permission when Mr Shaikh applied for no objection certificate to hold the event. The DCO submitted a comprehensive report on the event with the court.

Though Safdar Salimullah, a representative of Bahria Town, informed the staff of DCO that the race's venue has been changed to Islamabad, it was still held at Bahria Town's Phase VIII, which falls in Rawalpindi's jurisdiction.

The court was told that CPO Sultan had recommended to DCO his 'no objection' to holding the race. But the DIG Special Branch, Rawalpindi, opposed permission to avoid any 'untoward' incident.

Commissioner Saeed told the court he had sent a letter to CPO asking for details of probe into the case. A copy of the letter was also sent to RPO Gondal. The court was told that the RPO not taking any action also did not officially bring the matter into the notice of IGP Punjab.

Grilling the RPO for not taking any action, the bench maintained that he should not have allowed the event in the absence of permission. The court was told that Atif Sheikh had got bail before arrest.

PPO Dogar said the rally was conducted without legal permission and admitted it should have been stopped by the administration.