Abid Boxer gets bail in murder, robbery cases

LAHORE: An Additional Session Judge on Friday granted bail to former police officer Abid Boxer in 10 cases, according to Geo News.

Th TV channel reported that the former police officer was presented before Judge Rehmat Ali amid tight security.

The bail was granted against the surety bonds of Rs1 million. He was bailed out in cases related to murder and robbery filed against him at various police stations across the province.

Known as encounter specialist, he was accused of carrying out extra judicial killings.

In a stark contrast to the stand of PML-N’s former government, the caretaker federal government on Wednesday admitted before the Lahore High Court (LHC) that notorious ‘encounter specialist’ Abid Boxer had been shifted to Pakistan since February this year and is in the custody of authorities.

Earlier this year, media reports surfaced that former police inspector Boxer had been arrested in February in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in connection with a fraud case and brought back to Pakistan with the help of Interpol. He was wanted in over a dozen cases of murder, attempted murder, land-grabbing and others in Punjab.

In March, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Punjab police, however, denied these reports, and told the court Boxer had yet to be extradited to Pakistan. The director FIA had reiterated the Interior Ministry's claim in the LHC during hearing of a petition filed by Boxer's father-in-law seeking protection for his son-in-law that no agency had brought Boxer back to Pakistan.

As hearing commenced on Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Syed Zafar Abbas Gilani told the court that the former police officer had been shifted to Pakistan from Dubai in February and is in custody of authorities concerned for interrogation.

On it, Justice Anwarul Haq directed the relevant authorities to produce Boxer before the court on July 27.The court also summoned the director FIA in the next hearing of the case.

Boxer’s father-in-law claims that a number of fabricated cases had been registered against his son-in-law on the basis of political victimisation and has sought protection for Boxer. He is afraid that his son-in-law will be killed in a fake encounter.