Three Islamabad Policemen Linked to Sumbal House Theft
Three Islamabad Police personnel have been arrested over their alleged involvement in a house theft case involving a foreign national in the jurisdiction of Sumbal Police Station, with the suspects sent to jail for an identification parade, according to police officials.
ISLAMABAD: Three serving personnel of the Islamabad Capital Territory Police have been arrested over their alleged involvement in a theft reported at the residence of a foreign national in the jurisdiction of Sumbal Police Station, according to information available to Islamabad Tribune.
Police officials identified the arrested personnel as Hamza, Mansab and Ijlal Afser. The three have been sent to jail for an identification parade as investigators continue proceedings in the case.
FIR Registered in Sumbal
Sumbal Police registered FIR No. 722/26 in connection with the alleged incident. According to officials familiar with the matter, the FIR was subsequently sealed on the directions of senior police officers.
The reported involvement of serving police personnel has added an internal-accountability dimension to the investigation, particularly because law-enforcement officials themselves are among those being investigated.
Police officials said the arrest and identification-parade proceedings form part of the investigation and that further legal action would depend on evidence collected during the probe. An arrest or identification proceeding does not itself establish guilt, which can only be determined by a competent court.
Earlier G-10/4 Case Involved Police Personnel
The Sumbal case comes shortly after another case in Islamabad in which serving capital police personnel were accused of involvement in an incident at the residence of Chinese nationals in G-10/4.
In that case, reported on September 25, three Islamabad Police personnel were found allegedly operating with a group accused of raiding the Chinese nationals’ residence on September 13. An official of the Islamabad Police Public Relations Branch confirmed the involvement of three police officials, while investigators traced suspects partly through CCTV footage. The suspects were accused of taking approximately Rs8 million from the residence.
The earlier G-10/4 case was registered under provisions including Section 395 of the Pakistan Penal Code as well as provisions concerning impersonation of public servants. Investigators had also arrested accomplices identified during the inquiry.
Focus on Police Accountability
The emergence of another case involving police personnel is therefore likely to place renewed focus on internal oversight and accountability mechanisms within the capital police.
Islamabad Police has publicly stated that professional conduct, effective monitoring and responsibility among officers remain priorities. At a meeting on October 5, IGP Islamabad Captain (Retd.) Muhammad Sohail Chaudhry directed officers to ensure professional policing and effective monitoring.
As of October 6, detailed information regarding FIR No. 722/26 and the allegations against the three personnel had not appeared among the publicly accessible news releases on the Islamabad Police website. The allegations against the arrested personnel therefore remain subject to investigation, identification proceedings and subsequent judicial determination.
