NAB arrests nine illegally-recruited police stenographers

National Accountability Bureau Lahore has arrested nine stenographers of Punjab Police on the allegations of getting illegal and unlawful appointments in police department. They included Rashid Mehmood, Abdul Qayyum, Mehmood-ul-Hassan, Muhammad Shahid Ameen, Abid Maqbool, Yasir Ali, Rehan Anwar, Muhammad Naeem Aslam and Faisal Mushtaq. The investigations were authorised by the NAB chairman on receipt of a source report which revealed that during the year 2011-13, a total of 272 stenographers were appointed by Punjab Police in which around 22 stenographers were found appointed illegally and unlawfully in Punjab Police department by forging and fabricating the record, whereas, these illegal appointees had neither applied for the post nor did they appear for examination conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission. NAB Lahore officials had arrested seven stenographers on 12th of October this year who had been sent on judicial remand by an accountability court. Nine other stenographers had approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) for pre-arrest bail. However, their bail applications were rejected by the LHC on Monday after which the bureau’s team arrested them from the court premises. The accused persons will be produced before an accountability court on Tuesday (today) for their physical remand.