KARACHI, Oct 26: Serving and retired police officers, bureaucrats and even influential private persons are indulging in an outrageous abuse of police vehicles, fuel and maintenance, it emerged on Friday.

At least 154 vehicles belonging to the Sindh police are in the possession of retired police officers and officers who are no longer in the Sindh police department and people outside the police.

A number of police vehicles are in the possession of influential personalities and politicians.

At least 25 vehicles, including sedans and 4X4 vehicles, which are the property of the Sindh police, are in the control of private persons.

They include politicians, bureaucrats, former judges, frontier constabulary personnel, officials at the camp office of the national crisis management cell and the Bilawal House, details obtained by Dawn show.

A person said to be close to the President House is in possession of two police cars and a pickup. “He is the person several police officers turn to when seeking certain postings in Sindh,” sources in the police said.

Similarly, three vehicles — a Toyota Prado, a Land Cruiser and a Corolla — are in the possession of a former chief secretary of Sindh, the data shows.

As many as 55 vehicles — cars and 4X4 vehicles — have been held by former police officers long after their retirement.

A retired additional inspector general of the Sindh police is in possession of six cars. He is closely followed by another retired additional inspector general of police holding seven motorcycles and three cars, all belonging to the Sindh police.

“The police department doesn’t have rules for allotting vehicles to retired officers, even to former IGs,” said a senior police officer.

As many as 22 vehicles, including cars and 4X4 vehicles, are with officers now posted outside the Sindh police.

As if the vehicles are not enough, the people who are keeping them are also guzzling official fuel of the Sindh police.

“Each of these vehicles are consuming around 300 litres of the Sindh police fuel per month,” said a source in the police department.

The police vehicles have been with these people for years. Successive inspectors general of police allotted the vehicles to different people, sources said.

The police authorities are not interested in getting the vehicles back from the irrelevant people, or blocking the fuel line for them.

An average of three to four cars, and two to three motorcycles with police personnel are in the possession of former inspectors general of Sindh.

Even former additional IGs have more or less the same number of vehicles.

As the Urdu saying goes, ‘Maal-i-muft, dil-i-berehm’, even repair costs of these vehicles are borne by the police department, the sources said.

“In such ideal circumstances, any officer or private person in possession of such police vehicles is not going to surrender the vehicle,” remarked a senior police officer.

Since the police hierarchy foresees a similar future for themselves following retirement, none of the high-ups are keen to take on the abusers of official vehicles, the sources said.