GUJRAT, May 25: Whereas the district police are always ready to cooperate with influential victims of robbery and theft, they simply refuse to register cases on complaints of the common man.
In districts like Gujrat where the incidence of robbery and theft is very high, the common man has to go through a difficult process to get his cases registered due to the indifferent attitude of police who may only offer to lodge a toned-down report describing, for instance, a dacoity as a theft.
Last year, five unidentified armed dacoits forced their way into the house of one Arshad in Nawan Nowshera village of Kunjah and held up the inmates. They raped the wife of Arshad and decamped with valuables worth thousands of rupees.
When Arshad visited the Mungowal police Chowki to lodge an FIR, the man in charge, SI Safwatullah, and ASI Ghulam Abbas refused to register the dacoity-cum-rape case. However, on repeated requests of the complainant, the police agreed to register a softened report describing the incident as a theft.
A few days later, the complainant submitted a written application against the SI and ASI to the district police officer (DPO) who ordered a probe into the matter. The officials concerned were found guilty and had a case registered against them with the Kunjah police on the directive of DPO on May 20.
However, the police are still reluctant to constitute a team for arresting the culprits who committed the heinous crime at Arshad’s house.
Last month, a Phalia-bound Hiace (MNR-2072) was intercepted by three unidentified highwaymen near Kunjahari in the limits of Kunjah Police Station. The dacoits made off with cash and valuables worth thousands of rupees at gunpoint. When the victims including the driver Riaz went to the police station, the police not only refused to register a case but also harassed the victims.
The same night 12 bandits looted cash and valuables worth Rs1 million from the houses of Chaudhry Abdul Haq, Afrasiab and HBL manager Mirza Naeem. However, the Sarai Alamgir police allegedly lodged cases of theft instead of dacoity.
On April 6, some unidentified thieves made off with cash and valuables worth Rs800,000 from six shops in the main bazaar of Lalamusa, but the then SHO Shahid Gondal refused to register cases in a bid to conceal the actual crime rate in the city. The traders shuttered their shops and went on strike to protest against the indifferent attitude of police. They also kept the GT Road blocked for more than two hours by burning old tyres. Only then, they were able to get their cases registered. However, in all these cases, the relevant police are still reluctant to arrest the culprits. On the other hand, the police made every possible effort for the arrest of dacoits who targeted influential people. On May 10, some unidentified thieves took away cash from a company owned by Harriawala Union Council Naib Nazim Chaudhry Nadeem Malhi who is a friend of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. When Mr Malhi visited the Civil Lines Police Station for the registration of case, the SHO lodged the FIR without any delay. The DPO has constituted a 15-member team led by Inspector Ghaus Cheema for arresting the culprits.
The dacoity or theft victims who do not have access to influential people have demanded of the authorities concerned to do something for the recovery of their stolen property.
Explaining the reasons for police reluctance in registering dacoity or theft cases, a source in the police department said that when police registered such cases, it became necessary for them to arrest the culprits in a short period of time and recover the stolen goods. The authorities concerned daily sought progress report of such cases.
It has been learnt that the district police are so afraid of lodging dacoity reports that sometimes officials of one police station try to show the place of occurrence in the limits of the adjacent police station.
Two months ago, three unidentified robbers looted passengers of a Lahore-bound bus near Julliani on GT Road in the jurisdiction of Gujrat Sadar police. The police reached the place and directed the bus driver to turn back and park the bus near Kulewal Syedan in the limits of Lalamusa Sadar Police Station. Later, they transmitted a message to the control room that the incident had taken place in the area of Lalamusa police and requested the control room to pass on the message to Lalamusa police that they should reach the place.
In the meantime, the police kept on harassing the passengers in a bid to persuade them into informing the Lalamusa police that the bus was going to Rawalpindi and the incident had taken place at Kulewal Syedan. The Lalamusa Sadar police arrived and came to know that the incident had actually taken place in the limits of Gujrat Sadar police. Neither of the police stations registered a case against the accused.