Allegation of custodial death: FIA registers case against police officials in Vehari

LAHORE: The FIA Multan has registered an FIR under Section 302 (murder) against SHO Thingi Mazhar Fareed, former SHO of Model Town Police Station Burewala Nasir Mahmood, Sub-Inspector Atif, and 11 other officials after the police encounter was proven to be fake.

The FIA has registered a case against police officials of the Model Town Police Station, Burewala, Vehari, on charges of custodial torture and the alleged murder of Muhammad Asif, a local resident.

According to FIR No. C-163/2025 filed by the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) Multan, Khalida Parveen, widow of the deceased, lodged a formal complaint on August 21, 2024.

She claimed her husband, Muhammad Asif, was a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record. Despite this, he was allegedly targeted by police officers, framed in fabricated cases, and subjected to custodial violence.

The FIR states that earlier on April 6, 2023, multiple cases were lodged against Asif and others under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including 392, 324, 186, and 353, as well as 34 PPC.

Parveen alleges that the FIRs were registered without legal justification and that police officials deliberately orchestrated false evidence and self-inflicted injuries to support these cases.

On April 9, 2023, in the dead of night, Asif and another man, Muhammad Shaban, were reportedly taken into custody.

The next morning, Asif was found dead, sparking allegations of custodial torture and death.

His widow asserts that this incident was the result of systematic police abuse and unlawful detention.

Following her complaint and subsequent investigation orders, the FIA registered the case under Sections 302, 34, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 9 of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022.