Police torture jeweller to death

Police brutality was again exposed when a 50-year-old jeweller died in police custody owing to serious police torture late on Wednesday night.
The Ichhra Police registered a murder case against Incharge Investigation Mian Aslam and three unidentified policemen of the Defence-A Police Station under sections 302 and 155 of the police order on complaint of deceased’s brother-in-law Rana Izharul Hassan after Rafi’s family and other jewellers staged a massive protest for nearly five hours against his death in police custody on Thursday noon.
Muhammad Rafi, 50, father of two children, a resident of Ichhra Zaildar Road, was a jeweller and running his business in Latif Plaza located in the gold market for the past many years. The deceased was arrested by Mian Aslam some two days ago when two already arrested robbers confessed in police custody that they have sold gold ornaments weighing six to seven grammes to Rafi.
Jewellers along with their head Rana Mazhar reached the Defence-A Police Station and assured police that Rafi was not involved in such malicious activities in the past but they did not listen. Policemen badly thrashed Rafi, which led to his death. Few policemen reached Rafi’s shop along with him late on Wednesday night and left after throwing Rafi there. The Ichra Police reached the scene and shifted Rafi to Services Hospital at around 12 am but he could not survive. Police shifted the body to city morgue for autopsy.
Investigation Police of Defence-A late on Wednesday night told Ichra Police that Rafi committed suicide after drinking acid during their visit at his business place in order to recover the looted gold from him. Traders from Ichra Market and Rafi’s family reached the scene and after reaching the hospital claimed that Rafi died owing to serious police torture. Model Town SP Awais Malik and SP Umer Virak, who were there late night, claimed that Rafi committed suicide. Policemen managed to stop the traders from lodging any serious protest late on Wednesday night but on Thursday traders from Ichra went violent and staged a massive protest after blocking Ferozepur Road.
They chanted slogans against Aslam and his men for their brutal treatment with Rafi. Protesters burnt tyres and blocked the main Ferozepur Road for nearly five hours, which caused traffic jams. The enraged protesters demanded that action be taken against the accused policemen according to the law.
The protest finally succeeded and Ichra Police lodged a case against Aslam and his three unidentified subordinates in order to cool down the situation. CIA SP Umar Virk, Model Town Operations SP Awais Malik and Investigations SP Shoaib Khurram Janbaz, who reached the spot with heavy contingents of police assured the protesters and claimed that if proven that Rafi died due to police torture, the policemen would be booked within 12 hours.
Brother-in-law of the deceased Rana Azharul Haq said that he visited the Defence-A Police Station along with other jewellers on Wednesday and found bruises on Rafi’s body. Azhar said that they came back to their shops at 8 pm and around 11 pm, four police officials left Rafi almost unconscious in a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Model Town SP told Pakistan Today that they had registered a case on complaint of the heirs of the deceased and now the investigation wing will decide the fate of the case during course of interrogations. He said that at the moment, traders have cordoned off the Ichra Police Station and want the deceased to be buried.