Dacoit killed in I-8 incident turns out to be police official
ISLAMABAD-The Saturday’s dacoity incident turned out to be a source of both embarrassment and concern for Islamabad police department after the dacoit killed in the incident has been identified as an official of Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) of Islamabad police.
The preliminary investigation suggested that the deceased dacoit, Muhammad Ashraf was the official of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Islamabad police and after performing his duty, he used to commit dacoities along with his accomplices in Islamabad.
Taking immediate action, Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Islamabad, Muhammad Amir Zulfiqar has sought a detailed report from the IG operations about the incident. He has also suspended the Muharrir and Line Officer concerned.
Muhammad Ashraf was serving as driver in the CTF until his death in the incident in I-8 sector of the capital. The involvement of the official in the incident has given strength to the notion that the absconding dacoit and many more police officials are involved in such criminal activities.
Keeping in view the gravity of the situation, Inspector General Police Islamabad Muhammad Amir Zulfiqar Khan has ordered a wider scrutiny to identify criminal elements in the force. He said that no one is above law and added that the alleged criminals deserved no leniency.
He directed the IG operations to ensure transparency in the investigations and take indiscriminate action against the suspects involved in the incident.
According to the FIR registered at the Industrial Area police station under sections 302, 324, 394, 397, 353, 186 of the PPC and 13/20/65 of AO, a police party patrolling in the area heard a young boy shouting ‘dacoit, dacoit.’
The two dacoits had looted Rs10,000 from Ahmed Nabi son of Sher Fazal who had just left an ATM in I-8 Markaz at around 5:25pm. As the police party chased the fleeing accused, they opened fire on them and injured a police constable, Abrar Hussain.
The accused tried to escape from the scene on their motorcycle but the bike slipped. Then they abandoned the bike and tried to stop a vehicle so as to run away from the scene but the driver did not stop.
They opened fire at the vehicle and resultantly Osama Bin Mahmood was killed on the spot while three other persons in the vehicle including Shaheryar, Faisal Manzoor and Amir Haider got injured. The vehicle hit a footpath and stopped.
Then the dacoits tried to stop another vehicle coming from Faizabad but the driver, later identified as Shakeel, left the vehicle and started running away along with the key.
In the meantime, one of the dacoits, later identified as Muhammad Ashraf, was hit by the fire of his accomplice. The police overpowered the accused and also recovered a loaded 9-mm pistol from his possession.
The injured dacoit later succumbed to the injuries during treatment at the hospital. The police later came to know that Muhammad Ashraf was driver in the CTF of the police.
IGP Islamabad Muhammad Amir Zulfiqar Khan ordering suspension of Line Officer and Moharrir Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) has constituted an inquiry committee to be headed by AIG (General) Haroon Joiya to probe the matter.
The committee members include SP CTF Farooq Amjad Buttar, and SP Special Branch Liaqat Hayat Khan Niazi.
He has also directed SSP (Operations) to launch a scrutiny to identify police officials involved in the said incident and other criminal activities.
Meanwhile, Senate Standing Committee on Interior has taken notice of the alleged involvement of police officials of CTF in the armed robbery in I-8 Markaz in Islamabad. Chairman Committee Rehman Malik has sought names and details of the police officials involved in the robbery with all official record from the Chief Commissioner and IGP Islamabad.
He also asked the police department to provide the committee details of the past crime, if any, of the accused. He has desired that a judicial inquiry be ordered to probe the matter. Following the incident, the police department has started a probe on larger scale to scrutinise the criminal elements in the force.
According to the IGP, any officials found in criminal activities would be dealt with an iron hand.
There have had been frequent complaints from the residents that some police officials were also involved in the criminal activities.
However, those complaints went unheard until the identification of the deceased dacoit, Muhammad Ashraf, as Islamabad policeman.
Furthermore, Tarnol police have recovered a woman who was being kept in forced detention at her house.
According to the police, the accused is an addict and was keeping his wife hostage at gun point.
Upon seeing the police, he shot three fires but nobody was hurt.
The police have also recovered a pistol from the possession of the accused.
Article source: https://nation.com.pk/09-Mar-2020/dacoit-killed-in-i-8-incident-turns-out-to-be-police-official