Suspect remanded in Nasla Tower road encroachment case

A District East judicial magistrate remanded a former office-bearer of Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) to police custody in the Nasla Tower road encroachment case.

The investigation officer (IO) produced former society office-bearer Naveed Bashir to obtain his remand for questioning. The IO submitted that the suspect had been an honorary secretary in the cabinet of the society when it had allotted a piece of service land to a private individual.

He said officials of the society and the private builder, in connivance with civic department officials, were involved in occupying the service road. The judicial magistrate remanded the suspect into police custody till January 21.

Last year, the Supreme Court had ordered the demolition of the multistory building on Sharea Faisal, as it had been constructed after the encroachment on the service road.

The apex court had ordered the registration of a criminal case against the owner of the building, officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority, and SMCHS officials who had allowed the construction of the unauthorized building. The demolition work is continuing, and all but a few floors of the building have been razed.