Police under investigation for alleged torture and extortion

RAWALPINDI: Following a complaint by a citizen against the R.A. Bazaar police administration for illegally detaining, torturing, and extorting money from him, besides charging him with possessing alcohol, the city police officer (CPO) has ordered the SSP to investigate the matter.

Talking to this reporter, a police spokesman said that the CPO has taken notice of the complaint, which was received two days ago. In addition, the SP Potohar and the SDPO Cantt have also been ordered to investigate and submit their reports.

Shahroon Mehmood Masih, a resident of Mughalabad, filed a complaint with the CPO, saying that he was sitting at his friend’s shop in Tench Bhatta on February 8, when Sub-inspector Sohail Bhatti and four unidentified persons arrived there and forcibly took him to the R.A Bazaar police station.

He alleged that he was taken to a room on the second floor of the police station, where the suspects started torturing him. He said that he was asked to stand up, raise his arms, and a stick was tied in the middle.

“Because of the extreme pain, as soon as I started screaming, they beat me up and asked me to hold my breath because some guests were sitting in the SHO’s room on the ground floor,” he alleged. He said he then fell unconscious and was given water to regain consciousness.

c. The officer, who claimed to be the SHO’s special man, made him listen to his voice and said, “Sir, I am telling you to file a 9C case against him.”

He said that as soon as he insisted, they began blackmailing him, saying that they had sent the pictures of the drug to the officers. He said that they demanded Rs500,000 from him; however, he transferred Rs50,000 to the account of the sub-inspector. After this, they asked him for more.