LAHORE: In a dramatic incident, Sohail Asghar, a suspect in the corruption investigation against former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, escaped from the custody of anti-corruption police on Wednesday in Gujranwala.
Asghar was reportedly being transported from the police station to the hospital after he complained of feeling ill when unknown individuals intercepted the police van near General Bus Stand, snatched the accused, and fled away.
Asghar is accused of awarding development project contracts to his preferred contractors after offering a cut to Elahi, then chief minister.
It is worth noting that a second corruption case was filed against Elahi in Gujranwala on Sunday, where he allegedly made an advance payment of Rs20 billion for a contract after accepting an Rs2 billion bribe. Nine accused, including Asghar and contractor Tariq, were nominated in the case.
Elahi had allegedly received a bribe while awarding the contract for the construction of a 29-kilometre patch of road, with the deal apparently brokered by Asghar.
Earlier, anti-corruption and police officials had raided Elahi’s residence in Lahore to arrest him, but they were unable to apprehend him as he was not at home at the time.
