Punjab: Killing of alleged criminals in ‘fake’ encounters

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Arshad Dogar
THE Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of the Lahore police has become a death angel for the alleged criminals by killing them in ‘fake’ encounters while a special cell of CIA Nawankot police has allegedly started minting money from the poor in the name of collecting bio-data of criminals outside the Camp Jail and the Kot Lakhpat Jail.

The CIA police have made the killing of alleged criminals in ‘staged’ encounters a routine as around five people have been killed in encounters in as many days. The CIA Kotwali police killed two alleged kidnappers in Sattukatla police precincts during the week before the last week while three youths were killed in an alleged encounter in the Shahdra Town police limits on August 19.

It is interesting to note that none of the police officials involved sustained even a minor injury in both ‘encounters’ in which five alleged criminals had lost their lives. The police claimed that cross firing resulted in the death of three youths but perhaps they left a loophole in the description of the staged encounter as how they escaped from the indiscriminate firing of criminals at an open place.

The police top brass most probably never asked that why such encounters are staged in the wee hours (at around 3am to 5am) when locals and media men are asleep. The daredevils of CIA police are also lucky that they are not asked about the credibility of the encounters. However, they have the credit of getting cash prizes and commendatory certificates from the CCPO on their performance in killing criminals in ‘encounters’.

It would be unjust on the part of this scribe if the performance of CIA police is not mentioned here. SSP Investigation Zulfiqar Hameed held two press conferences during the last week to reveal that the CIA police had arrested more than 50 criminals and recovered cash, gold ornaments and illicit weapons.

However, this scribe could find out the reason that why SSP Zulfiqar Hameed had refused to preside over the second press conference in as many days requested by SP CIA Umar Virk but he agreed after the latter insisted. But sources said that SSP Zulfiqar Hameed had termed the arrests of criminals a drama by the CIA and by considering it a blot on his good name he had refused to preside over any such press conference.

On the other hand, a special cell has been constituted by the Lahore police high-ups to keep the criminal record of prisoners, who get released from jails on bail or after completing their sentences.

Their actual job is to meet the jail officials and get the bio-data of the released criminals but the wise minds of the CIA and the Crime Review Office (CRO) have allegedly started minting money by appointing cops of the CIA Nawankot outside Camp and Kot Lakhpat jails.

The officials appointed for this purpose bargain with the released criminals according to their offences and demand Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000 from their families if they (families) had a wish to get their dear ones finally released. Some of the petty bargains are finalised on the spot while the ‘high profiles’ were taken to the police station in a bid to get huge bribe.

It is reliably learnt that during the last week, CIA Nawankot police picked up around 25 people after they were released from the Camp Jail on bail and took them to the police station for bargaining. A man, accused of possessing illicit weapons, requesting anonymity, said Sub-Inspector Saeed Anwar took him and other 24 people from outside Camp Jail and released him after taking Rs 1,500 as bribe. It is not the only case as one can observe several cases on a daily basis outside the jails in Lahore.

CIA SP Umar Virk is of the view that CIA cops work for the CRO to provide its record of criminals being released while CRO SP Jahanzeb Nazir says his department has nothing to do with the people released from the jails but it was only concerned with their criminal record.

The News has learnt through reliable sources that the business of taking bribe from criminals is operative under the very nose of the CIA and the CRO police high-ups.

Crime in Six Police Divisions During the last week two people, including a woman, were killed while two others were injured in Shahdra and Shahdra Town police precincts, falling under the jurisdiction of City Division.

Zafar Iqbal, a trader from Sialkot, was killed in Shahdra Town while Hameedan Bibi was killed in Shahdra and her two daughters-in-law were injured during a dacoity attempt. The Investigation police of the City Division have so far failed to trace the killers.

Meanwhile, no less than 180 citizens were deprived of cash and valuables in six police divisions of the Lahore police during the last week. The Cantt division topped the other five divisions in street crime cases with 44 reported incidents of street crime and house robberies. It remained on second number in car and motorcycle theft cases as nine cars and eight motorcycles were stolen from the limits of different police stations falling under the jurisdiction of Cantt division.

The City Division remained second number with 35 incidents of street crime and house robbery but it topped other five divisions in motorcycle theft cases as nine motorcycles were stolen.

The Model Town division was calculated on third position with 34 reported incidents during the last week while it topped other divisions in car lifting with 10 incidents. The Sadr division remained fourth in reported crime cases with 33 incidents while it was calculated on third number in motorcycle theft as seven motorcycles were stolen. The Iqbal Town division remained fifth with 27 incidents of street crimes while Civil Lines division on 6th with 6 incidents.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=131893