An official police inquiry has exposed a sinister network comprising police officers and civilians engaged in blackmail and extortion under the guise of fabricated cases against innocent citizens. The investigation, initiated by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Aamir Farooqi in June 2023, followed a directive from Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh after a complaint from local businessmen Abdul Rehman, Hafiz Mudasir both the local businessman of Karachi and Majid Khan a resident of Peshawar a PhD scholar, who were falsely implicated in over a dozen cases.
According to the inquiry report, assessed by this scribe, it was identified the cases against the brothers as entirely fictitious and pinpointed the involved gang, urging stringent legal and departmental action against the implicated police officers and civilians.
Beyond the plight of Abdul Rehman and his brother, a high-ranking police officer disclosed that the same gang had orchestrated over 100 cases against more than 300 innocent individuals, with multiple inquiries underway against the gang for various illegal activities.
Chronicle of Deceit:
The gang, allegedly in collaboration with certain police officers, manipulated the registration of eleven fake cases against Abdul Rehman and Hafiz Mudasir in different Karachi police stations. Despite approaching the Sindh High Court, which restrained further case registrations without prior court permission, the gang audaciously filed two additional cases in different police stations.
During the inquiry, duty officers, investigation officers, complainants, and accused individuals were summoned. However, out of eight complainants, only Nasir Ali appeared, while the others evaded the inquiry.
The inquiry uncovered a convoluted backstory involving a business dispute between Abdul Rehman’s cousin Bilal and Nasir Ali in 2018. Abdul Rehman intervened as an arbitrator, leading to a resolution through an agreement. However, after four years, in 2022, the brothers discovered that eleven criminal cases had been falsely registered against them, accompanied by threats from Nasir Ali to pay Rs. 8 million or face the fabricated charges.
Inquiry Findings:
The report implicated former Additional IG of Sindh Police Nayar Hasnain Haider his associates Nasir Ali, Amber Shahab, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Naveed, Muhammad Arsalan Ashfag, Rafagat Siddiq, Ashraf Ali, Aneesa, Jawaid Khan, Muhammad Younus, Shumaila, and Furqan Najeeb Ullah, in blackmailing and orchestrating false cases in collusion with police officers.
Recommendations:
The inquiry report suggested the constitution of a board to transfer and reinvestigate cases against Abdul Rehman and his brother, preferably assigning an honest police officer of the rank of a DSP.
Furthermore, the report advocated discouraging private individuals from lodging false cases against innocent citizens by invoking punitive clauses. It recommended initiating proceedings before the concerned Tribunal under the Sindh Crime Control Act, 1975, to safeguard the rights of potential future victims.
Strict departmental action was advised against police officers implicated in dishonest activities, with specific mentions of officers supporting Nasir Ali, including Inspector Sibt-e-Hassan, Inspector Shafqat Hussain Mangi, Inspector Altaf, and several others.
The reporter attempted to contact Nasir Ali and Sub-Inspector Shakeel Ahmad for their response to the allegations, but as of the filing of this story, there has been no response from either party.