Man tortured by Peshawar police last year re-arrested for carrying unlicenced pistol

Published June 3, 2021
Radiullah alias Amir Tehkalay was arrested in the city's Tajababad area in the limits of Pishtakhara police station on Wednesday. — Dawn/File
Radiullah alias Amir Tehkalay was arrested in the city's Tajababad area in the limits of Pishtakhara police station on Wednesday. — Dawn/File

Radiullah alias Amir Tehkalay, whose videos of being tortured in police custody went viral last year, was once again arrested by police in Peshawar for carrying an unlicenced pistol, officials said on Thursday.

He was arrested in the city's Tajababad area in the limits of Pishtakhara police station on Wednesday. A first information report (FIR) was later registered stating that a police patrol had stopped a "suspicious man".

Upon searching, a pistol was recovered from the man for which he could not show any licence at the moment, according to the FIR. Police then arrested Tehkalay and shifted him to a police station, officials said.

On Thursday, he was presented before a judicial magistrate who fined him Rs500 for carrying an unlicenced pistol. Officials told Dawn.com that Tehkalay was released afterwards.

Meanwhile, objectionable pictures allegedly of Tehkalay started circulating in different WhatsApp groups after his arrest.

Last year, there was outrage on social media as well as protests by workers of Jamaat-i-Islami and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network after videos emerged of police stripping and torturing Tehkalay — an Afghan national.

He had, apparently under the influence of some intoxicant, cursed police officers and was later taken into custody on charges of possessing drugs along with two other persons.

One video of 19 seconds showed two policemen forcing the semi-naked Tehkalay into a room, while two others could be seen following them. Another video of 36 seconds showed the cops forcing him to pose for the video.

Soon after the social media outrage, city police issued a notification announcing the suspension of four policemen. Police later also booked three of the policemen under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code related to using criminal force to dishonour someone and public servant concealing design to commit offence, which is his duty to prevent.

Later in the year, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police department had terminated the services of the four policemen on the recommendation of a judicial commission's investigation into the stripping and torture.

Among the sacked officials were sub-inspector and former SHO of the Yakatoot police station Imranuddin, SI and former SHO of the Tehkal police station Shahriyar Ahmad, and constables Tauseef Alam and Naeem Khan of the Tehkal police station.

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