KARACHI: East Zone police chief Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sultan Khawaja on Wednesday suspended three station house officers (SHOs) over charges of patronising illegal activities related to construction and encroachment and harassing law-abiding citizens.
The suspended SHOs were Rao Zakir of Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station, Wilayat Shah of Sharafi Goth police station and AD Chaudhry of Shah Faisal Colony police station.
A police spokesperson said that the East Zone DIG was approached by a citizen, Tariq, who lodged a complaint against SHO inspector Zakir for picking up labourers from Tariq’s under construction plot in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and demanding a bribe to release them. The DIG’s spokesman added that an enquiry was conducted against the accused following the complaint while the SHO was placed under suspension.
“There were other complaints against him as well, for example, that he was patronising illegal activities, construction and encroachment and he was harassing law-abiding citizens who were constructing their houses in his area of responsibility. Further inquiry is underway,” said the East DIG’s spokesperson.
While speaking with a media outlet, one of the complainants reported that Zakir was harassing them after they bought land in Gulistan-e-Jauhar from the Karachi Development Authority (KDA). “Over three months have passed since we acquired the land from KDA,” said the complainant, who wished to not be named. “However, since then we are unable to do construction work on the land.”
He said that the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police, using the names of some senior officials of the District East police, were continuously harassing them by detaining the labourers working on the site and impounding the machinery. He added that the senior police officials should conduct an inquiry to find out the involvement of senior police officials who were backing the SHO as the SHO was not acting alone.
Meanwhile, DIG Khawaja revealed that Zakir had lodged a fake FIR against a renowned businessman in collaboration with a local land grabber Abdul Raheem Rind, adding that the latter was wanted in 54 cases of land grabbing.
“Interestingly, one of the nominated accused in the fake FIR of a kidnapping was not even in the country for the last three years,” Khawaja said.
Replying to a question about the involvement of other senior police officials, Khawaja said that the inquiry was still underway and those found involved would be dealt with according to the law.
Separately, two other SHOs were suspended after being found guilty of involvement in running gambling dens in their areas.
Police officials said that a special police team of District East conducted a raid within their areas and found the dens running, despite clear directions for their elimination by the Sindh inspector-general. The two SHOs were helping the gamblers run the vice dens illegally by getting hefty amounts from the gamblers.
The East DIG spokesperson said that a special team conducted a raid at a gambling and narcotics den and recovered a huge quantity of drugs and arrested gamblers in the limits of the Sharafi Goth police station. The den was being run under the patronage of the Sharafi Goth SHO, who was receiving Rs200,000 per day against his support.
The SHO was placed under suspension and a departmental proceeding has been intimated against him. Meanwhile, the Shah Faisal Colony SHO was also suspended.
