An additional district and sessions judge sought comments from the Anti Corruption Establishment director general on a petition seeking the registration of a case against six police officials, including an assistant sub inspector, accused of “using a girl to lure unsuspecting men into a trap wherein the police would arrest them”.
Muhammad Afzal said six policemen including ASI Muhammad Aslam of Sanda police had hired a girl who would lure men into a romantic relationship. She would call them to meet her at a location where policemen would arrest the men, he said. “They would arrest the men and take them to a private detention cell where they would torture them and demand exorbitant bribes to release them,” Afzal said.
“I was arrested this way and was taken to the detention cell where the policemen thrashed me. There were several people who had been trapped in a similar fashion.”
Afzal said the police had asked for Rs300,000 bribe to release him. When he said he didn’t have the money they settled for Rs50,000. He said they told him not to tell anyone about the detention cell or “they would kill me in a staged police encounter”.
He said staff of several hotels were in cahoots with the policemen. They had made nude videos of some influential people to blackmail them, he alleged.
Afzal said that after being released, he had approached the Anti Corruption Establishment but they had refused to take action against the policemen.
He requested the court to direct the ACE director general to register a case against the policemen.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2014.