Police probe finds ex-top cop, aides involved in registering fake cases

KARACHI: Hundreds of fake criminal cases have been registered against innocent citizens by several police officials and private persons, headed by a retired additional inspector general of Sindh Police, revealed an official Police inquiry report.

Sindh Police’s official Inquiry report, a copy of which is available with The News, narrated that the group used the promissory notes and guarantee cheques submitted with an insurance company owned by a former additional inspector general Nayar Hasnain Hyder to register cases against innocent people to extort money through blackmailing. Nayyar denies charges against him and rejects the inquiry report.

The inquiry was done by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Amir Farooqi and endorsed by Additional IG (Investigation) Sindh Police, Abdul Qadir Qayum, with the recommendations to IGP Sindh for the strict action against the involved police officers and private persons.

A resident of Peshawar Majid Khan, a PhD student at Peshawar University and victim of the said group, approached the Sindh Police authorities complaining about the registration of five fake cases against him by an organized group. The IGP Sindh took notice of the complaint and assigned DIG Aamir Farooqi for the inquiry of the issue.

Majid Khan in his complaint claimed that the group registered five false FIRs at different police stations of Karachi. One of the FIRs was lodged against Wali Khan, who had expired before the registration of the FIR at PS New Karachi and fraudulently showed Majid Ali as a partner of Wali Khan. He said Sub-Inspector Rashid Hussain, who is the Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, made a false investigation and concealed the actual facts in his final investigation report and challaned both Majid and Wali Khan by submitting the same challan in the court under section 512 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Even though, he had visited Peshawar for the purpose of arrest Wali Khan where he came to know about the demise of Wali Khan, then he recorded the statements of neighbors and also visited graveyard where the said accused was buried.

Majid Khan in his complaint further said that his father Malik Hazrat was doing a business travel agency and had got insurance from a company owned by former police officer Haider for the purpose of dealing with M/s International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Majid Ali added that some agreements were made with his father’s company and the insurance company from 2011 to 2018, and after the demise of his father’s company was jointly operated by him and his stepbrother Wajid Khan but later he handed over the charge of the same company to his brother Wajid, who issued his open and blank cheque for the purpose of bank guarantee, finally in 2017, his brother closed the business of travel agency.

In 2020, he suddenly came to know that his CNIC had been blocked by NADRA, and when he approached NADRA he was informed that his CNIC was blocked by the order of the court in Karachi in FIR 392/20 under sections of Cheque bounce at PS Sharif abad district central, Karachi, in the complaint of Amber Shahab on behalf of the insurance company on the basis of a guarantee cheque issued and signed by his step bother.

When he got bail in the same case, he came to know that four more FIRs had also been registered against him, then he succeeded in getting bail in all cases, concluded Majid Khan.

The inquiry report added that Ambar Shahab complainant of the cases against Majid Ali claimed in his statement before the Inquiry Officer DIG Farooqi that he is a law graduate and working as a legal advisor in insurance company since 2018, but he is not an enrolled advocate. He admitted before the IO DIG Farooqi that he as per the direction of the insurance company management, he got registered 43 FIRs against 371 persons based on the authority letter of the company against the defaulters in different Police Stations, and after registration of the cases they made compromise after recovery of amount, thereafter they submit compromise application and then the nominated accused were acquitted.

The inquiry report further added that from the perusal of the record and in the light of the statements of applicant Majid, duty officers, and investigation officers, IO Farooqi recommended the departmental action against involved Police officers including of Sub-Inspector Syed Muhammad Abbas Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) Muhammad Hafeez and Muhammad AkrM of PS Azizabad; Sub-Inspector (SI) Muhammad Qasim, SI Syed Rashid Hussain, SI Shakeel Ahmed, ASIs Shakeel Ahmed, Fazal Kareem of PS New Karachi; and ASI Liaquat Solangi of PS North Nazimabad.

The inquiry report further added that criminal and preventive action may be initiated against the private persons including of Amber Shahab, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Naveed and Nasir for being proven guilty of registration of hundreds of FIRs against innocent citizens based on the fake and managed documents, open and guarantee cheques to extort huge amount by the way of blackmailing and misusing of law.

They said Nasir Ali and Amber Shahab are running a group and proceeding may be initiated under section 14 sub-clause 17 and 23 of the Sindh Criminal Control Act 1975 to safeguard the rights of the people, adding legal action should have been initiated against them under sections 205 and 419 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The inquiry report concluded that the insurance firm is a limited company and governed under the Companies Act 2017 under the provision of Companies Ordinance 1984, no court has jurisdiction to entertain the matters of limited compaexcept of the High Court.

All matters and disputes shall go to the High Court. The insurance company did not adopt the legal proceedings for recovery of the amount, instead of adopting legal proceedings company, insurance company turned the civil disputes into criminal proceedings and got registered hundreds of cases against innocent persons except for Majid Khan cases, which is not allowed under the law, and the cases registered against Majid Khan may be reinvestigated through an honest and competent officer not below the rank of DSP to dig out the real facts.

Majid Khan told The News that the group has ruined his life, reputation, and studies. He came under huge financial burden for getting bail before arrest in all five cases.

Former Additional IG Haider told The News that he had adopted the right and legal way for the recovery of his amount. He claimed that the police inquiry was not as per merit. Haider said he, through the registration of the FIRs, has recovered his amount from the defaulters and refuted the allegations of lodging of the cases against innocent citizens. Haider admitted that Amber Shahab and Nasir Ali are working for his Company.