round 700 expensive vehicles that had been impounded over the last two years in connection with various cases by the Anti Vehicle Lifting System, a wing of the Lahore Police, have reportedly been sold off under allegedly fraudulent court orders. This has raised concerns over the potential of these cars being used for subversive activities.

The recovery of these cars has been a mystery. The inquiry initiated into the matter has not reached any conclusion, five months since it was initiated.

The concerned police officials have cited various reasons for this — delays in recovery of necessary details from the court record, and the alleged collusion of some of their colleagues.

Mujahid Sheikh, a local TV channel reporter, says the matter came to light when a judicial query revealed fraudulent activities, prompting Judicial Magistrate Atif Rasheed Khan Niazi (of Model Town) to take action.

In a letter dated April 18, 2024, the magistrate directed the Capital City Police to provide a detailed report on all vehicles released under the provision of superd-dari (court orders for handing over seized vehicles) since January last year. For this, relevant registers and records from the AVLS Model Town and Saddar divisions were summoned for inspection by April 22, 2024, he says. The letter said that it had been brought to the court’s knowledge that superd-daris were counterfeited with the help of court staff and the police.

Sheikh says some officials from the AVLS were suspected of being involved in the illicit sale of confiscated vehicles using fraudulent court orders.

He says that the city police tried initially to hush up the matter. An inquiry is now under way. With the proverbial cat out of the bag, the subordinate staff of AVLS has been warned to recover the vehicles to save their skin.

A senior superintendent of the Lahore police, requesting anonymity, says that selling confiscated vehicles is a violation of police procedures and law. “This appears to be a case of corruption involving billions of rupees. The concerned officers of the AVLS have allegedly received Rs 2-3 million per luxury vehicle.”

The SP says that it is strange that a large number of vehicles should have been sold right under the noses of senior police officers. “No one knows the actual whereabouts of these vehicles, many of which have reportedly reached areas affected by terrorism — in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Some of these vehicles might have ended up with saboteurs and anti-social elements, capable of misusing these in subversive activities.”

The SP claims that the affair came to light only when a judicial query divulged fraudulent activities,prompting a judicial magistrate to take action demanding a detailed report on all vehicles released under the provision of superd-dari since January last year.

The SP says that the affair came to light when a judicial query divulged fraudulent activities, prompting a judicial magistrate to take action demanding a detailed report on all vehicles released under the provision of superd-dari since January last year.

According to him, the inquiry revealed that vehicles recovered from the Saddar and Model Town divisions were being sold through bogus superd-dari orders. Once original owners of several vehicles came forward, the court sought comprehensive details.

The court may take action if the required documents are not submitted by the deadline. Meanwhile, the AVLS is under intense scrutiny for its handling of confiscated vehicles.

The SP says some people in the department till wish to brush the matter under the rug.

Imran Kishwar, the Organised Crime DIG, has assigned Imran Karamat Bukhari, the Organised Crime Unit’s SSP in charge of administration, to carry out the investigation.

Kishwar tells TNS says that a thorough inquiry is under way. He says strict disciplinary action will be taken against any police official found guilty or involved in the scandal.

SP Rana Zahid Hussain says the police have provided all records pertaining to the vehicles under question to the courts. There is no anomaly in handing over the vehicles on surperd-daris, he says. “The police are bound to hand over a vehicle to the person in whose name the court issues a superd-dari.” If there is any anomaly in the process, or a superd-dari is found to have been acquired through fraudulent means, the responsibility lies with the court or the person. The police cannot be blamed for that,” he says.

Ahsan Zia is a print and broadcast journalist