Waseem Akram’s shooting case has gotten a little simpler after the Karachi police arrested the accused, but for the family that was tangled into the mess after Akram misquoted the car license plate, the problems have just begun.
The left-arm fast bowler reached the police station after the incident of firing and claimed that a light-coloured car bearing the registration number AEG-061 crashed into his Mercedes and when he asked the driver to pull over, he stepped out and opened fire. While recording this statement to the police, Akram forgot that a small error on his part can cause big problems for someone else.
On August 05, the Bahadurabad police registered an FIR [218/15] against unknown suspects under sections 324 [attempt to murder], 337-H [rash or negligent driving], 427 [mischief causing damage] and 34 [common intention] of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Soon after the incident, a police party conducted a raid on a house situated on DHA’s Khayaban-e-Hilal during which the vehicle identified by Waseem Akram was recovered. The number plate of the car was same, but the colour of the car was different from the one that was involved in the incident.
As it turned out the car wasn’t the one used during the incident. “We were surprised to see the policemen inside our house. They told us that the car parked in the garage was involved in the alleged accident with Waseem Akram’s Mercedes. The policemen were in a state of shock too when they saw dust residue on the four-wheeler,” the people who were keeping the car said.
“We told them that the owner of the vehicle left for another country almost a year ago, and it was not used after his departure. They agreed with us, and said that the condition of the car suggest that it was not in use since a long time, but showing helplessness, they said that they would have to take the vehicle in custody as it was nominated in FIR by the complainant,” the sources said.
The family then had to go from door to door to different government officers to get their car back, to no avail. Akram’s misinformation put the family in real trouble. “My nephew has followed this procedure, but I want to tell you that before getting the possession, he come to home for a sleep and spent his whole day in police station and the court,” the source said.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal SP Abid Qaimkhani said, “I know that it was not that car, but we are helpless as it carries the registration number mention in the FIR. When someone claims that a particular vehicle was involved in a criminal offence then we circulate the registration number in CPLC, ACLC and E&T on wireless. The vehicle is then produced before judicial magistrate and if it got clearance, the court issues a release orders. After getting the possession, the owner must have to get clearance from CPLC, ACLC and E&T department as well,” said Gulshan-e-Iqbal SP Abid Qaimkhani.
Akram did not bother to respond on this issue despite repeated calls and text messages. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Spokesman Shoaib Ahmed, when contacted, claimed that Akram did not want to discuss this issue anymore.
