Dumper driver who tried to evade police granted post-arrest bail

A judicial magistrate on Monday granted bail to a dumper truck driver arrested for allegedly driving recklessly and evading a traffic patrol vehicle that attempted to stop him on Sharea Faisal.

The driver, identified as Shafiq Ur Rehman, was taken into custody on Sunday after a video went viral on social media showing a dumper truck speeding away with the police vehicle trying to stop it on the busy thoroughfare.

The investigating officer produced the driver before Judicial Magistrate (East) Rashid Ali Ujjan and requested his physical remand. He said the suspect's custody was needed for interrogation about the incident.

However, the defence counsel moved an application before the magistrate, requesting the court to release the driver on bail. He contended that his client had not stopped the vehicle out of fear that the truck might be set on fire or that he could be subjected to physical harm.

The lawyer argued that the sections invoked in the FIR were also bailable and, therefore, pleaded with the court to grant bail. After hearing arguments, the magistrate ordered the truck driver's release subject to submission of a Rs100,000 surety.

An FIR was lodged at the Sharea Faisal police station under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of ASI Rajab Ali.

According to the complainant, he, along with Head Constable Shakeel, was patrolling Sharea Faisal from Karsaz towards the Karachi airport on April 11 when, at around 12:15 am, a dumper truck being driven by an unidentified driver managed to evade the police vehicle by driving recklessly.