Man involved in road accident dies in Preedy police custody

A man involved in a road traffic accident on Friday, identified as Qazi Waqasuddin, 34, died in the custody of the Preedy police on Saturday. Following his death, nine policemen were suspended, and the Karachi police chief and the Sindh home minister ordered a transparent investigation.

Two motorbikes collided with each other near the MA Jinnah Road traffic signal on Friday, following which the two parties got into an argument, leading to a physical assault.

According to the FIR later registered at the Preedy police station, Police Constable Muhammad Usama was riding his motorbike with his friend Muhammad Sahabi when two men on a motorbike driving on the wrong side at high speed rammed into his two-wheeler.

PC Usama said that as soon as he got off his motorbike, the other party started verbally abusing him. “I asked them why they were abusing me, as they were the ones driving at a high speed.”

The complainant said the other party then started beating him and his friend, adding that others joined in to beat them, due to which they both suffered injuries. The constable also claimed that his bag in which he had his laptop and some cash, and his mobile phone were stolen.

He said that when a Preedy police van arrived on the scene, he told the law enforcers what had happened, following which the mobile officer arrested three people, but the others fled taking advantage of the crowd gathered there.

The mobile officer, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ghulam Rabbani, asked the detainees their names, who identified themselves as Ehtesham, Qazi Waqasuddin and Muhammad Ikram. They were then shifted to the Preedy police station’s lock-up.

Police claimed that Waqasuddin’s condition was found to be unstable on Saturday morning, so he was taken to a hospital, where he died during treatment.

The suspect’s family said Waqasuddin was a resident of Nazimabad who worked as a labourer at the Saddar electronics market. They claimed that police tortured him the entire night, causing his death. They demanded that the government take action against the officials responsible.

Hospital sources said that the post-mortem examination of the deceased has been conducted, and the report has been reserved, adding that the cause of death would be clear after the completion of the medical report.

After the suspect’s death, a large number of his relatives and the electronics market’s traders gathered outside the Preedy police station to protest against the incident and to demand justice. A traffic jam also occurred in and around the Preedy area.

South Range police chief Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Asad Raza suspended nine policemen of the Preedy police station, including Inspector Pervaiz Ali Solangi (station house officer) and Sub-Inspector Muhammad Hanif Siyal (station investigation officer).

ASI Shahid Nazeer, ASI Faiz Ahmed, Head Constable Zeeshan Haider, PC Muhammad Usama, PC Asif Mujtaba, PC Rehmanullah and PC Riaz Ahmed were also suspended.

City police chief Additional IG Javed Alam Odho ordered strict action against those responsible. He ordered an enquiry into the incident, and appointed Admin DIG Zulfiqar Larak as the enquiry officer. Further departmental action will be taken in the light of the enquiry report.

Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar also ordered an investigation into the incident, and sought a detailed report from DIG Raza. Lanjar said that a transparent investigation must be ensured.