KARACHI, Jan 14: Four police officials, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), who were booked over a month ago for killing a 30-year-old murder suspect in their custody, are likely to be charged with torturing the victim to extract confessions as the final postmortem report is apparently in favour of the suspects.

The suspects – DSP Hafeez Junejo, Inspector Hadi Bux, Sub-inspector Malik Ashraf and ASI Javed Chaudhry of the investigation branch of police – were booked (FIR 915/2008) on Nov 25, 2008 under Section 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code for killing Kirshan Chand on the complaint of the victim’s brother who had alleged that his brother had been tortured to death by the policemen.

The suspected police officials have been untraceable since they were booked.

A final postmortem report says that “the cause of death was haemorrhage from the stomach, as a result of chronic gastritis and multiple erosion leading to cardio respiratory failure and death”.

Sources said that the investigation police had requested the office of the police surgeon to explain the exact cause of the victim’s death.

They said that the police surgeon wrote back saying that the postmortem report was “self-explanatory in all regards” without specifically stating whether it was a natural death or otherwise.

The sources said that under the law the police surgeon was required to specifically state the cause of death.

The victim, who was booked in a case of murder of his maternal uncle, Amit Kumar, on Oct 11 by the Sharea Faisal police, was surrendered before the police by his brother, Bhero Mal, on Nov 4. The following day, the man died in police custody.

The victim’s brother alleged that Kishan Chandar was tortured to death by the Sharea Faisal police, who in turn claimed that the young suspect died of cardiac arrest.

He claimed that the killers of Amit Kumar had kidnapped his brother after killing the victim and they threw his brother at a desolate place near New Sabzi Mandi off the Super Highway on Nov 3. He said he had himself taken his brother to the police as he had been booked in the murder case.

The case against the absconding police officials was registered on the order of the Sindh High Court on a complaint of Bhero Mal, who stated that the police were not registering an FIR.

The court also ordered that the case be investigated under the supervision of a senior police officer.

The postmortem on the victim’s body was conducted by a board of doctors, comprising Prof Farhat Mirza, a forensic expert in the Dow University of Health Sciences, Dr Hamid Ali Parhyar, the police surgeon, and Medico-Legal Officer Dr Karar Hussain, in the presence of the EDO (Revenue) under Section 176 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The SP of investigation, Niaz Ahmed Khoso, told Dawn that the absconding police officials would be charged with Section 337-K for torturing the victim to extract confessions.

The section involves imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years as ta’zir.

Mr Khoso said that the initial post-mortem report said clearly that the victim’s body bore marks of torture. He added that the final report was silent on the matter.

Guard, salesman killed

A security guard and a salesman were killed when bandits opened fire on them in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Wednesday.

The DIG of East zone, Zafar Farooqui, told Dawn that a gang of bandits, travelling in a white Toyota Corolla, stormed into a cellular phone franchise and snatched the repeater of a private security guard at gunpoint. “They took away mobile-phone scratch cards from the outlet and moved to a nearby bookstore,” he said.

The DIG said the private security guard at the bookstore opened fire on the bandits as he smelled a rat. “The bandits also opened fire, killing the guard and a salesman before driving away,” he added.

The bodies were taken to hospital, where the victims were identified as Rub Nawaz, the 40-year-old security guard, and Rizwanullah, the 23-year-old salesman.

The guard hailed from the NWFP and the salesman from Punjab.

Labourer killed

A 35-year-old man was shot dead near Al-Asif Square in the Sohrab Goth police limits.

The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where the victim was identified as Momin Khan, son of Gul Khan, a resident of Machhar Colony.

The police said the victim was a labourer.

They said no case had been registered as the police were waiting for the victim’s relatives who were busy in funeral arrangements.

The police said the incident seemed to be motivated by a personal enmity.

Body found

The body of a young man was found on a plot near Ijtima Ground in Ghazi Goth.

The Manghopir police said the body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a postmortem.

Sources at the hospital’s medico-legal section told Dawn that the young man was killed at least two days back as the body had begun decomposing.

They said the victim, who appeared to be in his early 20s, received fatal wounds to the head by a heavy object, most probably a rock.

The police said the victim, wearing light-green shalwar-qamees, remained unidentified and his body was kept at Edhi’s morgue at Sohrab Goth for want of identification.

A case (23/09) was registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code against unknown culprits on behalf of the state.

Meanwhile, the Manghopir police said a 42-year-old labourer was killed accidentally when a heavy piece of marble fell on him.

They said the victim, Juma Khan, son of Akram, was offloading marble pieces from a truck along with other labourers when the big piece fell on him.

The police said the victim, resident of Khwaja Ajmair Nagri, died instantly.

They said the body was later handed over to the victim’s family after medico-legal formalities.

Bandit killed

A suspected dacoit was killed and his two accomplices were arrested near Metroville in a shootout with police.

The Site police said that three suspects were spotted by a police patrol near an ice-cream outlet in the afternoon.

They said the suspects opened fire on the police party who also returned fire. The police said that one of the suspects was fatally wounded.

Sub-inspector Raja Azmat Mehmood told Dawn that he and two constables were patrolling the locality when he saw three men standing near a bank in a suspicious manner. “I asked one of my constables to check the suspects, and as he approached them, one of them took position and opened fire on him,” he added.

He said the policemen returned fire on the suspect, who fell to the ground after being hit. “The two others could not get an opportunity to take out their pistols and were swiftly overpowered by the policemen,” he added.

The sub-inspector said a bullet fired by the suspect grazed the head of the constable, Tariq.

The police officer said three pistols were seized from the suspects.

The fatally wounded suspect was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he died.

Sources at the hospital’s medico-legal section said the 35-year-old suspect had received three bullets in the chest, the abdomen and the right leg.

The killed suspect was identified as Bismillah Jan, and his arrested accomplices as Khiyal Mohammed and Bakht, alias Bakhti.

The area SHO, Inspector Rao Rafique, said the killed man was wanted in robbery cases by the Moch Koh, Docks and Mominabad police. “Suspect Khiyal Mohammed is also wanted in robbery cases,” he added.

The police registered a case (FIR 45/09) against the suspects under sections 324 and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code for trying to kill policemen during the shootout.

Three separate cases (FIRs 46, 47, 48/09) were also registered against the suspects for possessing unlicensed pistols.

Arms seized

The CID police arrested an alleged arms smuggler and seized from him a sizeable quantity of sophisticated weapons after a brief shootout.

Addressing a press conference, the SP of CID, Fayyaz Ahmed, said the suspect, Jamshed Khan Bajori, was arrested on a tip-off near Sohrab Goth on Wednesday morning.

He said the CID team intercepted the suspect’s car (ABW-164) and the search yielded eight AK-47 rifles, seven SMGs, five repeaters, 11 pistols and over 1,000 live bullets.

The SP said two accomplices of the suspect fled. “The suspects brought the illegal arms and ammunition from the upcountry by Swat Coach, Makkh Coach and Mardan Coach.

He said the suspects supplied the illicit weapons to criminals, members of Jihadi groups and gangsters of Lyari.