LAHORE: Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman has issued an order for the launch of an ‘internal inquiry’ after a retired Navy captain alleged that the Lahore police had detained his young son illegally for 10 days.

On the other hand, police claimed that the boy was a member of a gang involved in the illegal business of luxury non-custom-paid vehicles.

The inquiry was launched following the police reports that a group of people, including some serving officers of the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department, were involved in the business of luxury non-custom paid cars.

Identified as Sheharyar Ahmad, the youngster, a student of BBA, was released on the order of the Lahore High Court when his father Ammad Hassan, a retired captain of the Pakistan Navy, filed a writ petition. He alleged, in the petition, that his son was taken into custody by police in a raid on his house in Cantt after registration of a fake/forged robbery case.

“It has been observed that he was shown as arrested in a case lodged on Dec 25, 2022 under section 392 of the PPC at Police Station Chuhng following an incident reported on Dec 24, 2022 against unknown accused,” reads the LHC order.

Alleges son illegally detained in fabricated case; police claim youngster was a member of gang including govt officers

The LHC judge declared that during that period, police had neither submitted an interim report before the court nor resorted to file an untraced report because no accused was ever arrested in this case.

The high court ordered SP Saddar Division Sydrah Khan to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter and submit a report with the court. However, the police inquiry finalised on the court order declared Sheharyar guilty.

Special Protection Unit (SPU) DIG Imran Kishwar told Dawn the findings of the inquiry conducted by SP Sydrah Khan had been submitted with the LHC. He alleged that Sheharyar was one of the key players of the network behind the sale and purchase of illegal non-custom paid luxury cars.

“During the inquiry many more stunning revelations have been made as it has been suspected that the number of non-custom paid vehicles sold so far may be over 100,” the DIG said. He added that it was an organised gang, including the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department officials, who were behind the illegal sale and purchase of non-custom paid cars. A data entry operator of the department was also among them besides some other senior officers, he said.

About BBA student Sheharyar’s involvement in the robbery case as was alleged by his father, Mr Kishwar said inquiries were also being conducted in this respect. He said police had launched action against Sheharyar when he mediated a deal of a non-custom paid car, which was purchased by another Pakistani student in the USA.

The USA student had deposited an amount Rs50m in a bank through a ‘pay order’ and presented some documents as evidence, he said. After this, police had expanded the scope of investigation to detect and trace other members of the network, the DIG SPU said, adding that 25 luxury non-paid custom vehicles had been traced so far.

“The USA student is still struggling to get his payment back,” Imran Kishwar said.

To a question, he confirmed that a high level internal inquiry had also been initiated on the directions of the chief secretary to further expand the scope of the investigations when it appeared that some excise and taxation department officers were also a part of the gang. On the other hand, Ammad Hassan told Dawn that police had arrested his son in a fake case at the behest of PML-N political leader Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar.

DIG Kishwar denied the allegation of Hassan that police had arrested him at the behest of PML-N leader Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar. He claimed that during the inquiry it appeared that Gujjar’s son was also one of the affectees whom the non-custom paid car was sold. Hassan said his son had just facilitated Gujjar’s son in the purchase of a luxury vehicle being his friend some two years back and the vehicle later was reported to be non-custom paid.

“My son Sheharyar had nothing to do with the business of non-custom paid vehicles as he was just assisting Chaudhry Iqbal’s son being his close friend,” Ammad Hassan stressed.

He added that as Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar was having connections with the PML-N rulers in Punjab, he used his influence in the police department to involve Sheharyar in the fabricated case.

Ammad alleged that the CIA police tortured his son in the presence of the PML-N leader’s son during custody. About the inquiry report of SP Sydrah Khan, he said he had not been informed about its findings or that it had been submitted to the court.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024