Daily Times

LAHORE, FAISALABAD: A businessman from Urdu Bazaar, Lahore has alleged DSP People’s Colony Faisalabad of illegally detaining him and forcing him to sign blank papers and affidavits.

According to details, Muhammad Saleem, who owns a printing press in Lahore’s Urdu Bazaar had been defrauded by a man named Khurram Ayaz, who had promised to bring him printing machinery from abroad for Rs 27.5 million. However, when he failed to deliver and refused to return the money, Muhammad Saleem filed cases against him in New Anarkali and Gawalmandi police stations.

After thorough investigations, it was proven that Khurram Ayaz had defrauded Saleem. However, Khurram Ayaz and his partners filed a similar petition against Muhammad Saleem at the same time in Faisalabad’s People’s Colony Police Station. The DSP of People’s Colony, Ehsanullah Shaad, summoned Muhammad Saleem to his police station on March 6, 2018.

Muhammad Saleem presented all the evidence and the inquiry report of the New Anarkal and Gawalmandi police stations of Lahore. He also got his statement recorded in Faislabad but another case against Saleem was registered in Sajid Shaheed police station of Sargodha.

After keeping Saleem detained for several hours on March 6, DSP Ehsanullah Shaad finally let him go. It has now been learned that the People’s Colony Faisalabad Police Station in collusion with the Sajid Shaeed Police Station Sargodha police had decided to hand Saleem over to the Sargodha police on March 6 but the Sargodha police team arrived late to the police station and thus Saleem had to be allowed to leave.

However, he was told to reappear on March 19 again. And this time, though all the allegations against Khurram Ayaz had already been proven, Saleem was handed over to the Sargodha police. SHO of Sajid Shaeed Police Station Muhammad Awais Gujjar forcefully abducted Saleem from People’s Colony in Faisalabad. ASI Nasrullah Khan, who had arrested Saleem, immediately locked him up after arriving at Sargodha’s Sajid Shaheed Police Station.

On March 13, Sajid Shaheed Police Station presented a completely fake report in the court and obtained a 4-day physical remand of Muhammad Saleem. On March 17, though the court had ordered discharging Muhammad Saleem, he wasn’t released by the police and was subjected to torture again in the lock-up.

An inquiry was finally initiated into the case upon the orders of Chief Minister of Punjab. An investigation team comprising DIG Investigation and Monitoring Muhammad Waqas Nazir and Superintendent Police Investigation Syed Asad Muzaffar was formed.

After recording the statements from all concerned, the investigation team has recommended initiation of proceedings against Faisalabad DSP People’s Colony Ehsanullah Shaad, and Sajid Shaeed Police Station Sargodha’s SHO Muhammad Awais Gujjar of kidnapping and that the case against both should be registered in Faisalabad district as that was where the crime was initiated.

The team has also recommended investigating the role of Khurram Ayaz in aiding the accused and strong departmental action against Muhammad Awais Gujjar, Ehsanullah Shaad and all other officers involved in the illegal detention.