CTD inspector compulsorily retired, four other cops fired

An inspector of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Sindh, has been compulsory retired while four other cops have been dismissed from service on charges of robbing a retired police officer’s house in the Saeedabad area. The CTD deputy inspector general (DIG) has issued a written order regarding the punishment.

The final order of CTD chief DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh states that Inspector Syed Muhammad Sarfaraz of Operations, CTD Sindh, Karachi, had been placed under suspension and issued a show-cause notice (SCN).

The SCN had been issued on the following allegations: at 12:45am on November 29, 2023, some officials of the Counter Violent Extremism Cell, Operations, CTD Sindh, Karachi, in plain clothes conducted an illegal raid at the house of retired inspector Bashir Hussain.

It had been further alleged that the officials beat Hussain’s children, and robbed a 9mm pistol with 50 rounds, four tolas of gold jewellery and Rs200,000 in cash during the illegal raid.

FIR No. 705/23 had been registered against Inspector Sarfaraz at the Saeedabad police station. He failed to submit his written reply to the SCN, which caused the CTD to issue a final show-cause notice (FSCN).

Failing to submit his written reply to the FSCN within the specified period proves he has nothing to say in his defence, so he has been awarded the major punishment of compulsory retirement with immediate effect.

Similarly, four more policemen of the CTD — constables Sikander Khan, Raja Umair and Saadat Maroof, and Head Constable Imran Ali — have been dismissed from service.

They had already been placed under suspension following last year’s incident. They had also failed to submit their written replies to the SCNs issued to them, which caused the CTD to issue them with FSCNs. They were awarded the major punishment of dismissal from service with immediate effect.

According to Hussain, 10 to 11 individuals dressed in plain clothes had entered his house, while one of them had identified himself as CTD Garden officer Nazeer.

The retired cop said that the police officers physically assaulted his son Amir, then they proceeded to the upper rooms and brutally attacked his daughters.

During their search of the house, the police officers robbed Rs200,000 in cash, four tolas of gold jewellery and other valuables. They kept asking for Hussain’s son Qamar, who was not present at home. They also made off with a 9mm pistol with 50 rounds from the house.

It is pertinent to mention here that Inspector Sarfaraz and his team had also faced allegations of arresting people in fake cases and extorting hefty sums of money from them.

Before the illegal raid in Saeedabad, Inspector Sarfaraz had been involved in a similar case, in which he had detained three people after accusing them of having links with the Indian spy agency Research & Analysis Wing.

However, Inspector Sarfaraz failed to substantiate these allegations, and all the suspects had been released on bail. The case was later downgraded to the ‘C class’ status.