Sargodha varsity official arrested by NAB dies

LAHORE: A former Sargodha University official, under investigation in a corruption case, has died of "cardiac arrest" under custody, prison officials said on Friday. Officials said Mian Javed was being held at the Camp Jail, Lahore, where he suffered cardiac arrest.

They added that he was shifted to the Services Hospital in Lahore, where he died. However, pictures of the deceased official's body went viral on social media with the handcuffs still on. The images drew ire of social media users, who strongly criticised the authorities.

Mian Javed was the former CEO of the university's Lahore sub-campus. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Javed earlier in October along with former Sargodha University vice-chancellor Dr Muhammad Akram Chaudhry and four other university officials.

The former CEO of Lahore sub-campus was later shifted to the camp jail on judicial remand. According to the anti-corruption watchdog, the suspects were accused of receiving millions in bribes for allowing third parties to establish illegal sub-campuses.

Explaining the death of the official, a spokesperson for the NAB said an accountability court had sent Javed on judicial remand in October shortly after his arrest. Prison officials had formally ensured that the suspect was in good health at the time of taking over his custody, the spokesperson said in his statement, adding the deceased was transferred from Lahore NAB in good health.

Officials at Camp Jail, Lahore, had shifted the official to the Services Hospital on Friday after he had complained of chest pain, the statement read. The spokesperson strongly denied the perception that the suspect died under custody of the NAB. Bureauofficials have expressed deep sorrow over the death of former official of the varsity, the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of not opening handcuffs of the official despite his death. He directed the Inspector General (IG) Prisons to identify the individuals responsible for it and submit a report to him.