MUZAFFARABAD: Four police personnel, deployed for the security of Chinese workers at the construction site of a mega power project, were taken into custody on Wednesday for unlawfully transporting wooden planks in their official vehicle.

An ASI, a head constable and two commando constables, all in uniform, were riding a single cabin pickup which was intercepted by Panjgran SHO Syed Wajahat Kazmi at about 8:30pm on Wednesday near Devlian village, some 35 kilometres northeast of Muzaffarabad, on Neelum valley road.

On being signalled, the head constable driver tried to speed away, but his move was thwarted, the SHO told Dawn on Thursday.

“When we searched the vehicle, we saw wooden planks in its rear portion with two constables sitting on them,” he said.

According to him, the officials, deployed at the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP), failed to give a satisfactory explanation for where they had brought the timber from and where they were taking it.

The vehicle and wood were confiscated after the registration of a preliminary report at the Panjgran police station, he said.

He said although forests department officials also arrived on the scene, since the suspects were government servants, a departmental inquiry would be held against them first to ascertain the facts.

The officials were handed over to Superintendent of Police (SP) (China Security) Raja Fayaz for investigation.

When contacted, SP Fayaz said he had detailed Deputy Superintendent of Police Ishaq for the preliminary investigation, following which all four would be suspended.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2016