- Case registered against Umar Akmal for assaulting traffic warden
- Akmal fails to approach judge for bail, expected to spend weekend in lockup
Test cricketer Umar Akmal has been detained by police for questioning after being accused of assaulting a police warden near Firdous Market on Saturday.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him at the Gulberg Police Station and he will be presented before a court within the next 24 hours.
“He violated a traffic signal and when he was stopped by the traffic warden he misbehaved with him, got abusive and also tore his shirt,” Model Town SP Tariq Aziz told reporters on Saturday.
Aziz said physically assaulting and tearing the shirt of a police officer was a serious violation. “He is presently detained at the police station for questioning,” he added.
Aziz said that the case is registered against Akmal under sections 186, 279 and 353.
The warden, identified as Zeeshan, claimed that Akmal swore at him and also threatened him.
However, Akmal, 23, denied the charges and told reporters that the traffic warden had slapped him and abused him over a minor issue.
“His behaviour was inappropriate to say the least. I came to the police station to register a complaint and instead they have detained me,” he added.
Speaking to the media, Gulberg Assistant Superintendant Police (ASP) Zahid Nawaz said that Akmal’s face was not hurt and therefore there was no evidence to support his claim. He added that the warden’s shirt was torn near his collar and if anyone had resorted to violence, it was Akmal, not the warden.
Akmal claimed the incident was captured on CCTV cameras at the traffic signal and the footage will make it clear who was the aggrieved and guilty parties.
Later in the day, Umar Akmal’s brother Kamran Akmal, who is also a cricketer, spoke to the media regarding his brother’s arrest.
Nobody is being allowed to see Umar, said Kamran Akmal, adding that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials were also turned away in the police station.
