ATTOCK, Jan 24: After a departmental inquiry that lasted for three months, Attock's district police officer has dismissed six officials from the department for being guilty of negligence in the escape of the leader of a gang of kidnappers last year.

The kidnapper, Sher Ali, escaped from the police last October, after only a few days in custody. Along with three other men, all of them from Swat, he had been arrested on October 16 in for kidnapping Mohammad Suhalah for a ransom of Rs25 million, and then murdered.

Officials informed the then DPO Mohammad Hilal Khan that Sher Ali had managed to escape when he was brought out of the lockup for investigation without handcuffs.

According to police records, DPO Khan suspended nine officials from the Saddar Hassanabdal station in this event, including an SHO and two sub-inspectors.

He also registered a criminal case against the nine of them and initiated a departmental inquiry by SP Investigation Attock, Abbas Majeed Marwat Khan.

Three months later, SP Marwat Khan found that seven out of the nine officials, including the SHO and both SIs, were guilty of sheer negligence in allowing Sher Ali to escape, and recommended departmental action against them.