HYDERABAD: Hyderabad DIG Naeem Shaikh has recommended disbanding of all special teams in the wake of inquiries into controversial raids and seizure of goods by policemen posing themselves as members of such teams.

The DIG sent his recommendation to the IGP a few days back in the backdrop of the June 17 seizure of 180 cigarette cartons in a raid conducted by a special team of former Hyderabad AIG Ghulam Sar­war Jamali. The AIG was transferred after the raid and seizure were found unauthorised.

In his report regarding the inquiry into the matter, the DIG disapproved the raid and seizure of 180 cartons, worth millions of rupees, observing that all these teams had been carrying out raids illegally. He said he found that the teams were minting money and keeping people in wrongful confinement.

Police sources informed Dawn on Monday that the DIG has recommended “major punishment for two policemen, Haroon and Ebad, and a head clerk, Ismail Mallah (a member of the former AIG’s special team) to set an example for others”.

Probe report finds raiding parties’ conduct illegal, aimed at minting money

He proposed that “an explanation should be sought from Tharparkar SSP as to how Haroon remained absent from Tharparkar district for a long time”.

The report said that even on July 8, when Haroon appeared before him [the DIG], he was absent from his place of posting — Tharparkar. It said that the SSP should also take action against SHO of Bhitai Nagar police station Saifur Reh­man Sahito and policeman Ebad as they remained missing from their duty at the Cantonment police station.

The special team led by Ismail Mallah had intercepted a truck and seized the cigarette cartons near Khyber-Matiari road.

The consignment was brought under a relevant invoice and sales note. Eighty cartons were offloaded in Hala from a truck (No SAI-178) by the raiding team. Another 100 cartons — out of total 280 — were snatched from the truck driver when the vehicle was intercepted near Hala Naka by the raiding team.

The team handed over the remai­ning 100 cartons to the Bhitai Nagar SHO. The driver, Mohammad Khalil, was detained. He later bec­ame the complainant and appeared before the DIG during the inquiry. Later, they were released from the Bhitai Nagar police station.

The value of the 180 cartons was estimated at around Rs3.5m.

The inquiry officer recorded statements of the SHO, truck driver, ASI Ghulam Abbas Arain and policemen Haroon, Ebad and Ismail Mallah. Mallah denied having anything to do with the matter. Ebad also remained unaware about the incident and also denied having recorded his statement to Inspector Siraj Lashari. However, Inspector Lashari produced his signature appearing on the statement and said he had recorded statements of 10 persons.

According to the findings of the inquiry, Ismail Mallah, Haroon and Ebad being members of the so-called special team were conducting raids at different places in violation of the standard operating procedure (SOPs) of police and some other people having bad reputation were also part of the team.

According to the report, “it was learnt during this inquiry that the policemen [involved in the case] reportedly compensated the affec­ted party in lieu of cigarettes and that’s why the complainant didn’t want further inquiry into the matter”. The call data record (CDR) of Ismail Mallah, Haroon and Ebad also indicated their presence in the vicinities of Hala Naka and Matiari area.

“All field commanders, including the AIGs, DIGs and SSPs should be directed to close the special teams with different names and styles [which are] working in the garb of crime fighting,” the report said.

These teams were just minting money through illegal raids and keeping people in wrongful confinement.

Head clerk Ismail Mallah, Haroon and Ebad were suspended in the backdrop of the June 25-26 midnight raid on an oil blending factory owned by Abdul Jabbar in the SITE area.

The team had looted several cartons of oil from the factory. Under the IGP’s orders, AIG Imran Yaqoob Minhas had conducted an inquiry into the oil factory raid and had also recommended action against AIG’s special team.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2019