The Interior Ministry on Wednesday suspended two officials of the Islamabad Police, who were accused of detaining and torturing two boys without any evidence.
The ministry seeked report from the high-ups of Islamabad Police of this whole episode, as it suspended SHO Rana Mubarik and ASI Rashid of Karachi Company Police Station. On Monday evening, the SSP (Operations) Sajid kiyani had directed SP Saddar Zeeshan Haider to probe into the matter and fix responsibility.
On Sunday night at 11pm, the capital police allegedly held two teenagers from the metro bus’ Chaman Terminal in illegal detention for hours and coerce them to confess about the crimes they had not even committed.
Teenager Zohaib Khan along with his friend Asfandyar were bought to PS Karachi Company where they were body searched and mobile phone, cash money and pistol-shape lighter were also seized.
They alleged that the police asked them to give a confessional statement that they were planning a robbery. On their refusal, the boys were allegedly striped and subjected to torture. As they did not return home, in Rawalpindi, Waqar Imran, father of Zohaib, after contacting all friends of his son had lodged a complaint with the Rescue 15.
He claimed that after repeated attempts, a call made on Zohaib’s mobile phone was attended by an unknown man who started interviewing us, without his own details and then disconnected the call. Later, the family used its contacts and located Zohaib through his mobile phone near the Karachi Company Police Station.
On Monday evening, victims’ family visited the Karachi Company police station and found the boys there with bruises on their bodies. Imran said the police told the families that they had recovered a toy pistol from the possession of the boys and a legal action was being initiated against them. The family members then approached Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on whose directions the boys were released after 18 hours.
While further enquiry is underway, the ministry said that such misbehaviour and illegal detention by police of any innocent will not be tolerated.