ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: The inspector general of Islamabad police has ordered an inquiry into the police claim that they recovered liquor from a house located in F-8/3 during a raid, police sources told Dawn here on Sunday.

IGP Syed Qalbe Abbas when contacted said the inquiry had been ordered to ascertain the facts whether the raid was genuine. He said the mater was brought to his knowledge from different sources that something was suspicious in it. The inquiry will clear the mater and allay the suspicious of those who questioned the authenticity of the raid, he added.

A police team under the supervision of Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Margalla Circle Farrukh Rasheed had raided the house on December 30 after chasing some persons and claimed to have recovered 14 bottles of liquor along with a cash of Rs275,000 and also arrested some people. The case against these people has been registered with the Margalla police.

The sources said this was the same house from where a huge quantity of foreign made liquor was recovered along with cash and prize bonds during a raid by Station House Officer Margalla Nawaz Bhati on November 9.

A senior police officer said the police were facing a lot of pressure not to take any action against those were involved in selling the liquor in the house. The sources said after the police action against the liquor sellers, they were using their contacts to get the senior police officers reshuffled. They also misguided the concerned authorities that the police forcibly entered the house and implicated inmates of the house in a bogus case, the sources added.

The sources said the house hired on rent was being used as a godown as a selling and distributing point of imported liquor.

It was run under the cover of a tailoring shop set at the first floor of the house, while the godown was at the ground floor, they added. According to the sources, the police had failed to take action against owner of the business and only his worker were arrested and jailed.

About 17 cases have been registered against various accused working for the business operator in the Kohsar police station, four in Shalimar police station and two in Margalla police station.

Several other centres of liquor business are also operating in the sectors of Shalimar, Ramana, and I-10, the sources said. About 10,000 bottles of liquor are consumed every day in the capital, the sources said, adding that currently major chunk of this business was being run by influential persons who are believed to have developed strong contacts with foreign diplomatic missions which were permitted to import tax free alcohol. Both sides are benefiting from this – the diplomats get their liquor and the Maliks make money, the sources said.

The raids and arrest of the accused have brought hardships to the police personnel who took part in the actions, the sources said, adding that inquires and campaigns had been launched to remove them from their posts.

The business operator is using his influence in different departments to get the police officials, who participated in the raids, transferred, the sources maintained.

The inquiries and campaigns are forcing the police to think whether they should take action against the anti-social elements or close their eyes to save their skins. If any action is taken against the police officials, it will lower morale of the police and embolden the criminals, the sources remarked.