OKARA: Up to 11 police officials, including an arrested inspector, were suspended from service over an embezzlement of Rs1.01 million, out of Rs22.01 million recovered from alleged drug pushers.

Inspector Aziz Ahmad Cheema was posted as the Okara Saddar station house officer (SHO). He as the Chichawatni SHO had nabbed two gangs of the drug pushers in March last but soon after that, he was transferred to Okara Saddar police station.

Cheema got registered separate cases against Javid, alias Jaedi Dogar, and Nanni Bibi, of Kasur, with Rs6m and 6.5kg charas seized from them. Similarly, he got another FIR registered against Hakim Ali and an unidentified drug pusher with Rs4.01m and 2.43kg charas seized from them.

The FIRs stated the narcotics dealers fled.

Cash was recovered from ‘drug pushers’

Later, it was reported that both groups were detained, brought here from Chichawatni and were released after embezzling the cash amount and recovered narcotics.

District Police Officer Faisal Shahzad initiated an inquiry while Investigation Superintendent of Police Abdullah Luk completed the investigation.

The matter was referred to the police internal accountability bureau which confirmed the investigation and got inspector Cheema arrested while other officials, including two sub-inspectors and eight constables, are still at large.

On the other hand in Chichawatni, on the application of Muhammad Saleem, police registered a case regarding the incident that Inspector Cheema raided the house of complainant s’ uncle Hakim in village 38/12L in the jurisdiction of the Chichawatni Saddar police on March 25.

Cheema with unidentified six police officials and five private accomplices –Tufail, Shahzad, Tariq Dogar, Munir Saqi, and Iftikhar – entered the house of Hakim and took away Rs28.9m, and gold ornaments while the accomplices took away their guests Inayat, Fauzia and her two-month-old son.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2021