76kg Charas recovered from CIA: 48 cops suspended

KARACHI:Additional Inspector General Farhat Junejo, head of 'internal accountability bureau' of Sindh Police, has been appointed as Inquiry Officer by Sindh Inspector General Mushtaq Mahar, to investigate recovery of big quantities of drugs from Jamshoro Police officials.

On July 18, 2021 (Sunday) six policemen of Jamshoro-based Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) were arrested in Clifton, Karachi along with the 76 kg of Charas found in the police mobile van they were travelling-in, by Pakistan Rangers, Sindh.

According to sources, Pakistan Rangers, Sindh acting on intelligence information made the arrest, recovered a huge quantity of drugs and handed over the suspects to Police Station Boat Basin for further legal proceedings. Sources of the Sindh government informed ‘The News’ that Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Shah directed IGP Mahar to conduct impartial investigations into the alleged involvement of Police official Sarwar Rahpoto, brother of MNA Sikandar Rahpoto.

Police sources informed 'The News' that besides this incident, the top brass of Sindh Police also suspect the involvement of some senior Police officers in the patronizing of smuggling of Iranian oil, drugs, 'Maava' the tobacco mixed mild drug, betel nut, cigarettes, Indian Gutka, liquor, Charas and other items from Baluchistan mainly via Jamshoro district. They also pointed accusing fingers at a Police officer who from last many years was posted at an important position with a senior political high-up, as a main patron of the whole dirty game. He is also famous for managing transfer of postings of police officers in Sindh Police and in return getting expensive gifts and heavy amounts as bribe from them.

According to the contents of FIR 587/2021 registered in connection of recovery of drugs from the possession of Jamshoro Police, at Boat Basin Police station “on spy information a police mobile bearing number plate SPF-684. The police mobile was stopped in Clifton driven by Constable Mohammed Yaqub and Constable Ghulam Abbas. Both were in plain clothes while four policemen sitting in the rear in police uniforms were identified as Aijaz Ali, Rahib Husain, Ahmed Nawaz and Abdul Hameed all of Jamshoro Police”.

The FIR adds that following the checking of the police mobile van, 76 kg of charas was found in 64 concealed packets.

According to the initial interrogation of the policemen they belonged to the CIA police Jamshoro and were sent to Karachi by Inspector Nisar Bhatti, Inspector Sarwar Rahpoto and Sub-Inspector Asghar Panhwar to hand over drugs to someone in Shireen Jinnah Colony, Clifton, Karachi. All of them were formally arrested along with their four sub machine-guns and a case was registered under Sections 6 (prohibition of possession of narcotics, drugs etc) and 9-C (punishment for contravention of section 6 etc) of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act.

SSP Jamshoro Javed Baloch told The News it is a matter of concern for the Police department and the senior Police authorities are conducting inquiry and no police official would found guilty would be spared. He said following the directions of senior Police officers 48 police officials of CIA Jamshoro have been suspended, in-charge of CIA Police Inspector Nisar Bhatti has been arrested and handed over to the Karachi Boat Basin Police. Raids are being conducted to arrest the other involved police officials.

The spokesman of MNA Sikandar Rahpoto told The News that he has nothing to do with this incident and it is nothing but a political stunt targetting MNA Rahpoto. Shahriar Afridi.

The spokesman concluded that it seems to be an issue of personal grievances among the Police department and MNA who is a humble public servant and belongs to a noble political family is being victimised for point-scoring.