SAHIWAL, Aug 7: The Sahiwal divisional forest officer and five other officials were suspended from service on the charge of misappropriation of timber worth Rs10 million.

Those suspended include Sahiwal divisional forest officer Rana Mahmood Ahmad, Burewala sub-divisional forest officer Rana Riaz Ahmad, block officer Javed Raza of Burewala and forest guards Abdul Jabbar and Zulfiqar Ahmad.

The scandal came to surface when block officer Zahid Bashir reported the matter to the department high-ups.

Interestingly, Rana Mahmood suspended Mr Bashir from service before handing over charge to new forest officer.

CASE REGISTERED: Grain market police registered a case against former member of district council and his eight accomplice on the charge of kidnap of father-in-law of the contractor to whom he had leased his land and orchard.

Faheem Ahmad Khan, younger brother of former IGP Laeeq Ahmad Khan, had leased his agricultural land and orchard to Qutab Din. He wanted to give contract to a new contractor but Qutab resisted him. On May 7, Faheem along with Ahmad, Sharif, Rafiq, Shafiq, Hatam, Falak Sher, Shahmand and Yusaf kidnapped Qutab's father-in-law Muhammad Ali and injured his son Sakhawat. He also damaged standing crops worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.

Qutab approached police which did not entertain him. Later, he moved the court of district and sessions judge on whose orders the case was registered.

The judge has ordered police to produce record on August 21.

Meanwhile, Faheem got pre-arrest bail.