KARACHI:
Three assistant sub-inspectors of the Special Investigation Unit and four constables were suspended on Friday in connection with the death of a youth in custody allegedly due to torture.
According to the relatives of deceased Irfan, he was visiting from Bahawalpur and on Wednesday morning SIU officials detained him and his three friends while they were shooting videos during breakfast. Their families were unable to locate them after SIU officials allegedly confiscated their mobile phones.
The family staged a protest outside the Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) Center in Saddar, accusing the police of causing Irfan’s death.
Read: One more citizen dies from police torture
According to Saddar police station SHO Chaudhry Zahid, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) alerted the police about the arrival of an unidentified body. When Zahid’s team reached JPMC, they found SIU personnel present at the scene, as well as a magistrate. The victim’s family had not contacted the police until then and SIU Saddar was on the case, Zahid said.
Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amjad Sheikh said that further investigation is underway.
It’s not the first time
There have been numerous reports of deaths in custody at the hands of SIU police, who have also been accused of kidnapping civilians and releasing them after collecting a ransom.
Last year, SIU was accused of torturing a citizen in custody to death, abandoning his body near his home and fleeing. In this regard, an FIR was lodged against an unidentified police party at Manghopir police station.
CIA DIG said The express PAkGazette that the SIU officials involved in this matter were arrested.
According to police sources, the SIU party illegally arrested a citizen named Qayamuddin in Manghopir area on January 12, 2024. The man was handcuffed while SIU officials searched his brother Nizammuddin’s house in Altaf Nagar.
The SIU team later released Qayyamuddin warning him not to inform anyone about his arrest and subsequent raid.
The SIU officials then took the Nizam away. His body was found near his house.
