Action sought against cops for supplying drugs, taking bribes

Days after the Special Branch of the Sindh police issued a report about the involvement of cops in running drug dens across Karachi, and the city police chief blacklisted 30 SHOs, the black sheep in Karachi’s department of law enforcement remain on the radar of senior officers.

A misconduct report has been filed against the Sachal subdivision’s DSP, the Sachal police station’s former SHO and the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station’s officials for their involvement in supplying drugs and releasing drug dealers after getting hefty bribes.

The report was prepared by the District East Investigation-I SSP against the Sachal DSP, the former Sachal SHO and Gulistan-e-Jauhar police officials. The report seeks strict action against the cops by the Karachi police chief.

The report states that on August 28, 2021, FIR No. 1095/21 was registered at the Sharea Faisal police station under sections 6 and 9-C, read with sections 13 and 14 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act.

Section 6, titled ‘Prohibition of possession of narcotic drugs, etc.’, reads: “No one shall produce, manufacture, extract, prepare, possess, offer for sale, sell, purchase, distribute, deliver on any terms whatsoever, transport, dispatch, any narcotic drug, psychotropic substance or controlled substance, except for medical, scientific or industrial purposes in the manner and subject to such conditions as may be specified by or under this Act or any other law for the time being in force.”

Section 9(c), which deals with punishment for the contravention of Section 6, suggests “death or imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years and shall also be liable to fine which may be up to one million rupees, if the quantity of narcotic drug, psychotropic substance or controlled substance exceeds [one kilogram]”.

The FIR has been registered against police constable Haque Nawaz, son of Sattar Billo, from whom 2kg hashish was recovered, police constable Mukhtiar Ahmed, son of Ghulamullah, posted at the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station, from whom 2kg hashish was recovered, police constable Yaseen Rajpar, posted at the Sachal police station and performing duty with the Sachal DSP, and Saleem, son of Gul Muhammad, from whom 4kg charas and a Suzuki Alto bearing registration No. BLK-152 was recovered.

During the course of investigation it was found that police constables Nawaz and Ahmed supplied hashish in police uniform to hashish addicts with the help of hashish dealer Saleem in the recovered car, which was used for supplying narcotics.

On the date and time of the offence, both police officials were deployed on motorbike patrolling in the jurisdiction of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station. Before this, Saleem had been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force with 100kg and was convicted for five years.

During the course of interrogation, the arrested police constable Ahmed disclosed that he had brought the recovered hashish from police constable Rajpar, who is posted at the Sachal police station and performing duty with Sachal DSP Ali Hassan Sheikh.

Ahmed said that Rajpar was on leave for seven days that was approved by the DSP, but in the station diary no entry regarding the leave was available, due to which sections 13 and 14 have been added. Rajpar is absconding due to fear of arrest.

It has further come to notice that on August 15, 2021, Farhan, son of Abdul Shakoor, Misri Khan, son of Hussain Bux, and Shahid, son of Nazeer, were arrested with a Toyota Corolla bearing registration No. AJG-995 and 16kg hashish.

However, ex-SHO Haroon Korai and DSP Sheikh released them after getting a bribe to the tune of Rs1.8 million. The footage of the said car is available at the office of the District East SSP. The report, therefore, has requested that departmental action and inquiry may be initiated against DSP Sheikh, ex-SHO Korai and the arrested and absconding police officials.