LAHORE: Shafiqabad Investigation Police has taken bribe from a helpless family to draft the scene of murder of the family’s only bread winner, who was allegedly shot dead in public by his brother in law on September 26, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The family, which includes three blind brothers who are all hafiz-e-Quran, has been left stranded and unable to pursue the murder case of Sharifullah, 26, resident of Khokhar Town on Bund Road. The deceased was running a PCO shop to earn bread for over a dozen family members, including his three blind brothers and their kids.
“All was going well before we married our two sisters to the sons of Sher Khan, who demanded Rs 200,000 as dowry a few days after the marriage,” said Saeed Ahmed, the eldest in the family. A few months after the wedding, we came to know that the in-laws of our sisters were drug-peddlers. They even forced our sisters to sell drugs, but they refused to do so, Ahmed said.
“On September 24, Khan and his sons Younis, Jaan Muhammad, Meer Ahmed and Mujahid stormed into our house and fired warning shots.
They also tortured my sisters and blind brothers,” he added. “The accused fled after snatching Rs 2,500 in cash and gold ornaments, while threatening us with dire consequences,” Ahmed said. Sharifullah, the only one in the family who could see, filed an application for the registration of a case against the attackers.
Police registered the case, but never arrested any of the accused, Ahmed said. “After coming to know of the case, the accused got infuriated and barged into our house again,” Ahmed narrated. “They held us at gunpoint and took us to a chowk located a few yards away from our house,” he said, adding that the attackers kept firing in the air. “Locals tried to help us, but stayed away fearing for their lives,” he added.
“The accused then shot my brother dead and injured a local woman, Khursheed Bibi, before making good their escape,” Ahmed said. “I started pursuing the case and the Investigation Police handed over the investigation to Inspector Raza Rauf Bukhari, who arrested all the accused but held only Younis responsible of the murder,” he added.
Ahmed said Bukhari did this after taking a Rs 400,000 bribe from the accused, adding that Bukhari kept him and his family waiting for eight to 10 hours on a daily basis. He said the inspector took Rs 20,000 to draft the sketch of the crime scene.
Ahmed said he then approached Senior Superintendent of Police (Investigations) Zulifqar Hameed who changed the investigations and ordered Deputy Superintendent of Garden Town Police Qaisar Mushtaq to look into the matter. Inspector Bukhari, denied the allegations, saying the main accused had been sent to jail. He said the co-accused were also in jail and a detailed inquiry report had been submitted in court.
