KARACHI: Police high-handedness claimed another life on Tuesday at CIA Jamshed Quarter.. Police, however, denied the allegation.
According to details, a police party of CIA Jamshed Quarter headed by SI Yusuf raided Hashmat Ali Khan's flat in Ashraf Plaza at 2.00am on Sunday. They searched the house of 60-year-old chief accountant of Shirazi Travel Agency, inquiring about Kamran, an alleged MQM activist. Hashmat's wife told she did not know any Kamran at which police used foul language. Mrs Hashmat also told the CIA team that her husband was a heart patient but the raiding team took Hashmat to another place but later released him asking him to report at CIA Jamshed Quarters at 9:00pm on Monday.
Hashmat went to CIA Jamshed Qrs on Monday with his friend Shamim. As soon as they entered SI Yousuf's room, cops started abusing and slapped him after which he fell and had cardiac arrest and died. Police panicked and took him to NICVD at 10:00pm where doctors pronounced him dead. Police informed Hashmat's family that he had suffered a heart attack and was admitted in NICVD. The doctors told his sons, on their arrival at NICVD, about his death.
However, SSP CIA Manzoor Mughal said in press conference that the police went to Hashmat's house on the night of June 7 for his son, Azmat, wanted in a robbery case, and not finding him at home, told the family to produce him. In the morning, SSP added, Hashmat went to his friend's place, Shamim, and when they were about to leave for the CIA Jamshed Quarter, Hashmat had a heart attack and he died at NICVD later.
May 31, 99: Four police officials held as MQM activist dies in custodyKARACHI: Four police officials were arrested on Sunday following the death of an activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the lock-up of Garden police station in the wee hours of Sunday due to alleged torture.
The man was identified as Shafiq alias Kalia, an activist of Muttahida, Unit 31. Garden police, the sources claimed, had arrested Shafiq from a flat situated in Soldier Bazar police limits late in the night of Friday last.
He was carrying Rs 1 million head money announced by the Sindh government. Allegedly involved in more then 24 heinous crimes including 15 killings, the man was a graduate jobless resident of Soldier Bazar area. He was affiliated with Muttahida since 1987, and was considered as a hard core activist of the party.
Acting on a tip-off, the Garden police raided the locked flat of his sister and arrested him. Independent sources claimed during the course of interrogation, the condition of the accused deteriorated in the wee hours of Sunday. He was rushed to the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Hospital sources said marks of torture were very visible on different parts of the body. Later, the police contacted the heirs of the deceased and handed the body over to them. The family, the sources further claimed, along with a large number of people, party workers and some leaders, took the body to the Civil Hospital and asked the authorities to conduct a post-mortem. The Medico-Legal Officers (MLOs), however, refused to do so. Later, the protesters took the body to the Governor House and staged a demonstration there for more than an hour.
On receiving the information of the demonstration, senior police officers of District South reached the spot and told the protesters that a case of murder has been registered against the Garden police officials. They also managed to conduct the autopsy at the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre.
The MLOs at the JPMC, however, reserved the cause of death and sent the viscera of deceased to the laboratory for chemical examination. The police, however, registered the case of murder against four cops of Garden police station, including Sub-Inspector Azam Khan, Sub-Inspector Yousuf Tanoli, ASI Tauqeer Ahmed and Constable Muhammad Siddiq.
A press release issued by the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) South said: "On May 25 last, a notorious terrorist Shafiq Kalia, son of Qutubuddin, was arrested by the Garden Police. He was involved in more than 24 heinous cases including 15 murders, police encounters, burning of vehicles and assault.
"During the midnight between May 29 and 30, his condition deteriorated at the police station. He was taken to hospital but he expired on way to hospital. In order to investigate into the incident, a case has been registered against the police officers involved in the investigation. All police officers nominated in the FIR have been arrested."
Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee has warned the government of grave consequences against influencing the MLO report on Shafiq's death. Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh demanded of the president, COAS, Supreme Court Chief Justice and international Human Rights organisations to take notice of custodial death of Shafiq which, he said, was the tenth extrajudicial killing of MQM activists during the PML rule.
He stated this while addressing a press conference at Nine Zero and added that police was bent upon killing Mohajirs in Karachi. The MQM coordination committee demanded to constitute a judicial commission headed by a sessions judge to hold an inquiry into the death of Shafiq so that punishment could be given to the culprits according to law.
Aftab said Nawaz Sharif was running the country with the help of police, and the whole country had become a police state with no rule of law and the Constitution. Aftab said extrajudicial killings were being reported in all the four provinces. He said action should be taken against the police officer who informed the family members about Shafiq's extrajudicial killings due to which deceased's father suffered a heart attack.
Mar 12, 1999: MQM activist killed in custodyKARACHI: Another activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement was killed in highly mysterious circumstances on Thursday, putting the death toll of alleged 'extrajudicial killings' during the past three days at three.
This was the 10th controversial death of an under-custody accused following the governor's rule. Earlier, nine political workers, eight of Muttahida and one of Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) became victims of the 'extrajudicial killings'. Jamil, an under-custody activist of Muttahida, succumbed at the Urology Ward of Civil Hospital.
Sources in police told The News that Jamil Ahmed Khan, a 28-year-old resident of Green Town, Shah Faisal Colony, and a Linesman of Pakistan TeleCommunications Limited (PTCL), was an activist of Muttahida's Labour Division, PTCL Unit. He was also a leading member of "Speech Committee" of Altaf Hussain and often the telephonic speeches of Altaf Hussain were aired directly under his supervision.
On February 23, when he was about to go to Lahore to arrange the speech of the party chief to the Lahore High Court Bar, he was arrested vide FIR No: 85/99 under section 324/353, CrPC, by SHO Azizabad, Ghzanfar Kazmi. Later, Jamil, was produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate Central 1, Javed Awan. The magistrate remanded him to police remand for two days. He was scheduled to be produced again before the same court for next hearing on February 28, but he was produced before the court on March 2. This time, he was sent to jail.
Jail sources said that on March 10, he complained of pain and when his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the jail hospital where after his check-up, doctors advised the authorities to shift him to the Civil Hospital. On reaching there, he was admitted to the Urology Ward where doctors suspected that his kidneys had failed. "He was sent to our Ward at around midnight and after a 12-hour battle for life, he breathed his last at around 6:40 am," said a sources from the ward.
Medico-Legal Officers (MLOs) who conducted the postmortem reserved the cause of death and sent his viscera for chemical examinations. Sources at the hospital, who had seen the body, however, claimed that they found some marks of injections visible on the body.
Jamil's Namaz-e-Janaza was offered near his house and he was buried at Azeempura graveyard. The deceased was unmarried and had five brothers and three sisters. He was the eldest and the only bread earner of his entire family. He was an employee of the PTCL and was posted at CTH Exchange, I I Chundrigar Road.
A younger brother of the deceased, while talking to The News, levelled serious charges against police. He said that after Jamil's arrest the family contacted the police but failed to find any clue. Later, it transpired that the deceased was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate where he complained that he was being subjected to brutal torture. His further alleged that police had kept Jamil on some injections because of which he had lost his senses. He also complained that police subjected him to "Cheera", the worst form of torture during interrogation.
According to Jamil's family members, his parents were not allowed to meet him in jail and the authorities had told them that he was ailing and shifted to a hospital. Finally, the family members traced out that he was admitted to the Civil Hospital. They went to the Civil Hospital where their son was breathing his last. He was totally out of his senses and could not identify his parents.
When the parents contacted doctors, they expressed the hope that Jamil would survive and by morning he would recover. But he died in the morning. "My brother was poisoned by police. It is a cold-blooded murder and police have snatched our only bread earner."
Mar 9, 99: 2 handcuffed Muttahida activists shot deadHYDERABAD: An emotionally-charged mob encircled the A Section police station here, stoned it and burnt old tyres following the custodial killing of a labourer prompting the police to resort to tear-gas shelling and aerial firing to disperse the protesters on Thursday night.
Armed youths exchanged fire with police, but no one was hurt. Authorities have suspended six police officials allegedly responsible for the death by torture in illegal police custody of the victim. The crowd had brought the body of the deceased labourer to the A Section police station demanding the arrest of the responsible police officials.
As the charged mob put the body of victim inside the premises of A Section police station, the protesting youths stoned the police station, where city chiefs of police and administration were holding dialogue with the members of the bereaved family. At the time when police and armed youths were exchanging fire, the DC and SSP came out of the police station, but were advised to go back.
The situation became tense when angry youths hurled stones at the police station, and smashed the glasses of a police mobile parked outside the police station. In the meantime, the SSP called all the SHOs of Hyderabad city to reach the scene with police force to help the authorities in overcoming the situation. All the routes leading to A Section police station were blocked by the police and rangers and normal traffic was prevented from going to the scene of violence.
The widow and grand-mother of the deceased remained inside the police station prior to the shelling and firing but when the firing started both were pushed outside by the police with instructions to leave the place and go home.
At about 11:00 pm the body of the victim was taken away by Edhi volunteers to the Edhi Centre to bury it as the crowd insisted they would not bury the body until the arrest of the guilty police officials. SP City Umer Sheikh termed the death of victim Gul Mohammad alias Gulloo due to cardiac arrest, while according to sources in the Shah Bhittai Hospital, the spleen of the deceased was found ruptured during the post-mortem conducted by a five-member team of the hospital, which caused the death.
The team of doctors headed by Medico Legal Officer (MLO) Akber Lakhani and comprising Dr Asif, Dr Waqar, Dr Ittefaq and Dr Waheed Khanzada, said after the post-mortem it is premature to say about the actual cause of death, but the external marks of torture and cigarette burn wounds were visible on the legs, hips, arms and back of Gulloo, 32, a daily wage labourer. He is survived by a widow, two sons and a daughter.
The record of the Shah Bhittai Hospital said the staff of A Section police station arrived in civvies at the hospital on Wednesday at about 10:40 pm along with the body of a middle-aged man. The police told the doctors Gulloo fell unconscious because of cardiac arrest, but when the doctors checked him he was dead, said a duty doctor while talking to The News.
Hospital sources added that when Gulloo was pronounced dead by the doctors, the police party left the body at the hospital and returned at 4 am along with a police letter stating that Gulloo was picked up from the Airport road during patrolling and was taken to A Section police station, where he felt pain in the chest. Consequently, he was brought to the Shah Bhittai hospital.
Police said that A Section had picked up Gulloo and Nadeem alias Fauji from their homes located at Unit No 10 (Kachchi Abadi) and Latifabad Unit 12 on February 16 and since their arrest, they were locked up at A Section police station. The A Section police, in order to pressurise the family of Gulloo subjected him to torture, but the family could not arrange Rs 25,000 as demanded by SHO Salman Farooqi for his release.
He was neither produced before any magistrate nor his remand was obtained from any court of law as the police was consistently demanding bribe for his release. Fahmida, the widow of Gulloo, said while weeping: "How could I have arranged the large amount, when I even did not have food for three times?"
A Section Police Station lodged an FIR with crime No. 14/99 under Section 13-D of Arms Ordinance at about 2:00 am on Thursday morning, showing the arrest of Gulloo from the Airport road. Nadeem, the only eye-witness in the case, was booked in another case and sent to Central Prison Hyderabad on 14 days' judicial remand. Sources told this scribe that Gulloo complained to his relatives, who frequently visited the police station for meeting him, that he was being severely tortured. Gulloo had told his relatives that he might be booked in any case of heinous nature if they failed to pay the demanded bribe.
Octogenarian Chuttan whose son Nadeem alias Fauji was picked up along with Gulloo, told reporters that he witnessed Gulloo lying unconscious inside the lock-up when he went to the police station on Wednesday at about 8:00 pm for serving dinner to his detained son who was rubbing Gulloo's swollen feet.
A police official posted at the same A Section police station said on condition of anonymity that following bleeding in stools after being hit in the abdomen by ASI Shahid Abbasi, Gulloo was crying for medical aid. Consequently, he was taken to the Waseem Clinic at Unit No 12 Latifabad where he was given a red coloured intra-venous injection after which he was shifted back to the police station, where he died.
Since Thursday morning, scores of people gathered at the Shah Bhittai Hospital and expressed their anger over the death. City MPA Syed Afzal Shah also reached the hospital and sympathised with the bereaved family and used his influence to get the complaint of the bereaved family lodged.
The emotionally-charged crowd at the hospital blocked the roads and burnt old tyres and demanded the arrest of the policemen involved in the death of Gulloo. A Section police have lodged an FIR against SHO Salman Farooqi, ASI Shahid Abbasi, police constables Niaz and Laeeq and two other policemen under sections 302 Q & D, 342, 161 and 34 PPC. All the nominated police officials have been placed under suspension by the SSP of Hyderabad, but none of them was taken into custody.
The relatives and area people took the body of Gulloo to A Section police station on Thursday night demanding the arrest of the police officials, otherwise they would not bury the body. In a late night development, the District Magistrate (DM) of Hyderabad, Rashid Bashir Mazari, ordered a judicial inquiry into the death and appointed SDM Latifabad Khalid Mehmood as enquiry officer directing him to submit a report within 10 days.
Jan 31, 99: Suspect killed in 'encounter'KARACHI: An ailing activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, released on bail, has died at a local hospital on Thursday. Arman Danish (26), a resident of C-4, Shahana Centre, North Karachi, died at a private hospital this evening. Police sources said that Arman was arrested from his home on January 4 on the charges of possession of illegal weapons. Later, the police were told by the members of his family that he was a kidney patient. " On January 18, the Station House Officer (SHO) while exercising his powers under section 457-B, released him on bail and he was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital." said an official of Jouharabad police. "Later, he was taken to a private local hospital by the family and was admitted there, however, he expired this evening," he added. Sources claimed that the police were informed about his death and the steps were being taken to shift the corpse to any of the hospital for autopsy.
Jan 16, 99: Muttahida activist dies in police custodyKARACHI: An activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, arrested by Jamshed Quarters police, died on Thursday in highly mysterious circumstances. Police, however, claimed that he died of cardiac arrest.
ASP Jamshed Quarters, talking at a press conference at his office on Thursday evening, said the police were tipped off that accused Anwer aka Kala and his accomplices, allegedly involved in killings, arson and other heinous crimes, were present at a hide-out near KMC Sports Complex on Kashmir Road.
Police raided the place at which all the accused tried to escape. Anwer fled on a motorcycle but slipped and fell after a short distance and was arrested by the chasing police. Just after his arrest he complained of chest pain at which police took him to the JPMC for check-up. But on reaching the hospital he was declared dead by the doctors and shifted his corpse for autopsy.
The ASP said during initial investigations it was revealed that the motorbike (KCV-7706) on which the accused fled was stolen from the PIB police limits on April 20, 1998, and had a fake number plate (KCV-1376).
It also transpired that Anwer was a Muttahida activist of PIB Colony sector and was allegedly involved in at least nine killings including that of a police constable. The ASP claimed that he was a sacked head constable. He also claimed that they had recovered a TT pistol, two fake identity cards and some medicines which hinted that he had a cardiac problem and high blood pressure.
The ASP categorically denied that Anwer was tortured to death by the police. When the medico-legal officers at the JPMC were contacted, they said they had reserved the cause of death and sent the viscera for chemical examination. This was the third death in police custody after imposition of governor's rule. Earlier, two accused Fasih aka Jugnoo and Mubashir arrested in connection with Hakim Said murder case had died in police custody.
Jan 12, 99: MQM man killed in encounterKARACHI: An activistof Muttehidda Qaumi Movement, was shot dead by Korangi police, after a shoot-out on Monday while accomplice of accused managed to escape. Police claimed that they were tipped off about the presence of some accused near Kalloo Hotel. Police rushed to the spot where the accused resorted to firing. During the gun-fight one of them was wounded while his accomplice fled, leaving behind his weapon. Police identified the injured as Muttahida activist Israr. During interrogation he revealed the identity of his accomplice to be Saeed aka Kala. Police rushed him to the JPMC where he lost the battle of life and breathed his last on the bed. Police were looking for his companion. SSP East, Capt Jamil Ahmed Khan, has announced awards for the team which took part in the arrest. Following the incident, area residents claimed, a mob of the area people gathered around the police station and raised the slogans against the police. Those, surrounded the building of police station were included women and youth.
Jan 3, 99: One shot dead, two stabbedKARACHI: Unidentified assailants shot dead a man at his home Korangi, a labourer drowned in the sea while a cop and his friend were in a street fight in Kalakot on Saturday. Abdul Salam, 38, of K Area, Korangi was sleeping in his home when three armed assailants barged into his house and shot him dead on the spot. Police, on information rushed to the spot and shifted the corpse to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center. They registered a case on the complaint of Salam's cousin and were investigating. In an street fight in Kalakot police limits two people, including a cop, were injured. Constable Abdul Rasheed had come to the area from Shah Faisal to see his friend Basheer. They indulged into a quarrel with an unknown man who stabbed both of them and fled. They were taken to Civil Hospital for medical aid. Meanwhile, a young labourer Tahir was working at a Taiwan flag ship moored at Berth 15 of the port and suddenly slipped and drowned. Police rushed to the scene on information and shifted the body to Civil Hospital.
Nov 29, 98: Another accused in Said's case dies in police custodyKARACHI: Another man, arrested by the police in connection with Hakim Muhammad Said'sassassination, died in police custody under mysterious circumstances on Saturday. The Saturday'svictim was Mubbasshir Ali, a recruiting agent by profession, who was arrested by the Liaquatabadpolice on Saturday. Police said that he died in their custody at his offices in Ferozabad policelimits. Sources from the East Police claimed that a team of Liaquatabad police, under the command of the DSP Liaquatabad, raided the residence of the deceased, situated in Akhter Colony Mehmoodabad police precincts of District South. During the initial interrogation, Mubbasshir allegedly disclosed that the accused Rehan and Masroor Iqbal -- nominated killers of Hakim Said by the police in the FIR -- contacted him and asked him to arrange their travel abroad. They also handed over their particulars and passports to him for necessary arrangements. He reportedly told the raiding team, that all the papers were at his office 'Khayyam Recruiting Company' situated in Khayyam Chambers in the Ferozabad police area. The team, on his disclosures,decided to take him to his offices to recover the papers of the alleged killers. On reaching there, police claimed, "the deceased suffered a cardiac arrest and died instantly."
Oct 24, 98: Alleged killer of Hakim Said dies in custodyKARACHI: One of the alleged killers of Hakim Muhammad Said, a Muttahidda activist who was nabbed by the CIA Malir from Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Friday, mysteriously died in police custody within hours of his detention. Another alleged killer Naushad, however, remains in custody.
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), Malir, at around 8:00 pm announced in a press conference that it had arrested Fasih Ahmed alias Jugno from his residence M/3701 Scout Colony, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Addressing the press conference, the DSP CIA Malir, Ghulam Subhani said that the accused confessed to his involvement in the assassination of Hakim Said while Amirullah, arrested by the District Central police, was also involved in the killing.The DSP claimed that the accused told him that their gang comprised some 10 members and all of them were involved in Hakim Said's killing. The DSP also showed some illegal weapons allegedly recovered from Fasih. The police did not produce Fasih before newsman. Later, in mysterious circumstances, just after half-an-hour, the accused died in custody. His corpse was moved to the JPMC from the CIA Center, Saddar, for autopsy. When the newsmen reached the JPMC, the autopsy had been started and the Medico-Legal Officers were conducting post mortem which continued till the filing the story. Sources at the JPMC, however, claimed that the accused died of torture.
Sources from the CIA Center claimed that the Fasih was arrested early in the morning and died in the custody at around 6:00 pm. No any official sources confirmed the information. Earlier, addressing the press conference, CIA officials said that the accused was booked on the charge of possessing illicit weapons. To a question, the DSP CIA said that the police were going to book him in Hakim Said's assassination. Police also claimed that they had recovered a Kalashnikov rifle and a snatched car (AB-3155) from him, while five Kalashnikovs, two 7MM rifles, six TT pistols, three revolvers and hundred of bullets were also recovered in a raid at the Apsara Apartment near Al-Karam Square following disclosure by the accused.
The investigation team claimed that Fasih Ahmed disclosed to the police that the operation to assassinate Hakim Muhammad Said was planned in a meeting chaired by former ASI Naushad alias Deputy. Police said that when it raided the Apsara Apartment, armed men opened fire upon the policemen. After one-and-half-hour-long shoot-out, the armed men managed to escape leaving their arms behind.
Those who escaped from the spot included Naushad, Rehan, Sarwar, Arif, Ajmal Pahari, Ijaz alias Kala Munna, Wahab Bandhani, Asif Burger, Shahid Commando and Tariq Sector Wala. Yet in another related development, the police have arrested Naushad aka ASI allegedly involved in the assassination of Hakim Said, who was gunned down at the doorsteps of his clinic in Aaram Bagh on October 17 last.
LEA sources disclosed that they had recovered a Pager nsumber from the van (CK-4411) which was found abandoned on the Elander Road, just one hour after the assassination of Hakim Said, along with his assistant Hakim Abdul Qadir and peon Wali Khan. The van was found with a fake hand-made number plate (GL-5448) which was originally allotted to a vehicle of Spencer Eye Hospital.
Later, the police, also assisted by some officials of other LEAs, conducted investigations and then it transpired that a coded message regarding the killing was paged by some one to the holder of the pager, whose number was found from the abandoned van. These investigations led to the arrest of Amirullah.
The sources also disclosed that after the arrest of Amirullah, when the SSP Central bypassed his immediate boss the DIG Karachi, Mushtaque Shah, and informed senior officials about the arrest of Amirullah, a quarrel developed between the two who exchanged hot words. The sources said that senior authorities had set up a joint investigation team comprising police, Rangers and other sensitive agencies to interrogate the suspect.
It is learnt that Amirullah was the brother of Ghufranullah, who was arrested by the Malir Police on September 2 along with 17 AK-47 rifles. The illegal weapons were a part of a huge consignment sent from Balochistan. Ghufranullah is a member of a terrorist gang which was involved in several murders, armed hold-ups and kidnappings for ransom cases.
Sources in the police said that Amirullah was wanted in at least 15 cases of heinous crimes including murders in the Liaquatabad Police Station's jurisdiction. Details of his involvement in crimes in rest of the city are being collected. It was also learnt that Amirullah was arrested on information provided by Kashif, a teenager who was taken into custody by the police after his matriculation certificate was found from 16-seater Mazda which was used in the murder of Hakim Said. Kashif told the police that he had handed over his certificate to Imranullah to seek a job.
The police recovered the 16-seater Mazda from the Elander Road after an elderly person informed them that some three or four persons had disembarked from the van, asked him to take care of the vehicle and disappeared into the Railway Colony. The police did not bother to search the area and only returned with the vehicle. Interestingly, the person who informed the police was taken into protective custody. His whereabouts are not known, sources said. Meanwhile, ASI Naushad was shifted to an unknown place by the personnel of LEAs and a joint interrogation team was interrogating him.
May 2, 1999: Accused assigns specific role to police in Mir case