LAHORE: In connection with a raid on an upscale café in the city over alleged sale of liquor, the Punjab government on Wednesday surrendered the services of Gulberg assistant superintendent of police to the federal government.

According to official sources, ASP Abdul Wahab was reportedly held guilty of giving favours to the owner of Café Aylanto situated on MM Alam Road in Gulberg.

Earlier, Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) Masood Bashir Warraich was made an OSD – official on special duty – in the aftermath of the raid on the café. He was leading the excise department team involved in the raid conducted by Model Town Assistant Commissioner Zeeshan Ranjha and ASP Wahab on Sept 7.

The team had recovered a huge quantity of imported liquor from the cafe premises, arresting its staff members.

An official told Dawn, the Punjab police high-ups took action against the ASP after they came to know that Mr Wahab had allegedly removed the name of the café’s owner from the application before lodging a case against the hotel management for selling alcohol.

He said the decision of surrendering the ASP to the establishment division, Islamabad, was ‘unusual’ as in such matters, the routine punishment was transfer of the ‘guilty police officer’ from one circle to another or to any other city of the province.

Many in police circles believe that someone took up the matter in Islamabad’s power corridors, ensuring the officer’s ouster from Punjab, he added.

Sources told Dawn that even before the raid the ASP did not enjoy good reputation since he assumed the charge in Gulberg in November 2018.

They said some weeks back, the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO) had received serious complaints against the officer. The charges against the officer were found to be true, when the inspector general of Punjab police sought a report from intelligence agencies, they added.

The IG was also told that the ASP had not cooperated with the team of the Model Town AC and the excise department deliberately, when the raid was conducted. He had refused to provide security to the raiding team on the excuse that it was the domain of the excise and taxation department to take action against the restaurant, not of the police, the IG was told.

Later, on the intervention of senior police officers, the ASP dispatched a police team with the orders that they would not enter the cafe premises and just act as observers, the sources said.

These allegations also proved true when the matter was probed by senior police officers, the official said.

He said there were numerous complaints that many station house officers (SHOs) posted in the city were involved in corruption.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2019