ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: Officials posted with a lower court judge allegedly kidnapped and manhandled a shopkeeper in G-9 Markaz following a dispute over exchange of a sweater, sources and the traders’ union told Dawn here on Thursday.

The victim was picked up from his shop and transported to the house of judge where the adjudicator dragged him with his hair, and slapped him several times during the detention.

The sources said the judge’s daughter, an advocate, Wednesday noon went to the G-9 Markaz to exchange the sweater which she had purchased for Rs600 from a shop – Ideal Garments – on Tuesday.

The shopkeeper agreed to replace the sweater with another one, but asked for more money because the prize of the new sweater was Rs800. The shopkeeper declined to replace the sweater when the judge’s daughter refused to pay the difference. As a result, the woman grew anger and left the shop after threatening him with dire consequences. Later in evening at around 7:30pm, four persons in plainclothes arrived at the shop and told the shopkeeper that the judge wanted to meet him and that he was sitting in his car.

The four men dragged the shopkeeper in a car and drove him to the house of the judge, where he was allegedly manhandled by the adjudicator and his staff.

He was also humiliated there during his hour-long detention.

In the meantime, traders of the G-9 Markaz approached the Margalla police to lodge a complaint about the incident. A message was immediately aired on the wireless system to locate the shopkeeper.

At about 8:40pm, the shopkeeper was brought to the Margalla police station by the staff of the judge, including his reader, in a white-coloured sedan.

Later, the judge’s staff fled from the police station when members of the traders’ union arrived at the police station and asked the police to register a case against them and the judge.

One of the union members claimed the judge was posted in the District and Session Courts Islamabad as a civil judge, and he is the son-in-law of a Supreme Court judge.

On the other hand, the police said that the adjudicator was posted in Jhelum as the district and session judge. They also confirmed the incident.

A complaint was lodged with the Margalla police against the judge and his staff, but the police were reluctant to register a case. The police also received another complaint from the judge’s side, in which his daughter alleged that the shopkeeper took money from her but did not give the sweater.

She also alleged that the shopkeeper misbehaved with her and pulled her scarf (dupata).

The police said they received two entirely different complaints and wrote a report about the incident.

An inquiry was also ordered to probe the incident. Margalla police SHO Inspector Nawaz Bhatti was appointed as the inquiry officer.