TOBA TEK SINGH: The Samanabad police station in Faisalabad was sealed and its station house officer (SHO) arrested along with three others on Wednesday after narcotics were found inside the premises, officials said.
The action followed an inquiry into the release of two detained drug peddlers by Samanabad police, which drew immediate attention from Faisalabad City Police Officer (CPO) Sahibzada Bilal Umar. He ordered Iqbal Town division SP Abid Zafar to conduct a surprise inspection of the police station.
During the raid, SP Zafar reportedly discovered narcotics hidden inside a cupboard belonging to SHO Imtiaz Ahmad. Further searches of rooms used by other policemen led to the recovery of additional narcotics stashed in their personal bags.
Following the discovery, authorities sealed the Samanabad police station and arrested SHO Imtiaz Ahmad, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Tayyab, constable Shahid Shaukat, and a private servant of the SHO, identified as Muhammad Akhtar.
An FIR was registered against the accused at the Factory Area police station on the complaint of its SHO Rana Attaur Rahman. The charges include violations under sections 9(3)(C) and 9(5)(D) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997, as well as section 155-C of the Police Order.
The FIR alleges that the arrested police officials had facilitated the release of two unidentified drug traffickers and attempted to flee during the raid. Authorities recovered more than four kilograms of opium and over two kilograms of hashish from their possession, which they were allegedly planning to sell.
Sources said the scandal surfaced after the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) earlier arrested constable Suhail Ahmad in Rashidabad on Jhang Road. During interrogation, he reportedly disclosed the involvement of Samanabad SHO Imtiaz Ahmad and his accomplices in releasing the drug dealers.
Upon receiving this information, CPO Sahibzada Bilal Umar immediately ordered the suspension and arrest of the implicated police officials.
In a separate operation, a team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Faisalabad arrested two notorious human smugglers on Wednesday. The suspects, Attaullah and Saeed Usman, were apprehended from Sargodha and Sialkot, respectively.
Both individuals were listed in the FIA’s Red Book of most-wanted traffickers for their alleged involvement in the 2023 Libya boat tragedy. FIA officials said Attaullah had collected Rs4.5 million from two victims to send them illegally to Italy via Libya. One of those individuals reportedly died in the boat capsize. Saeed Usman is accused of collecting Rs2.6 million from another victim, who remains missing following the incident.
FIA officials confirmed that the suspects had been transferred to Faisalabad for further investigation. They added that two additional suspects named in the same case had already been arrested earlier.
Meanwhile, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Dr Zulfiqar Ali emphasized the importance of women’s participation in national development during a visit to the newly completed Maryam Hostel on Wednesday.
The hostel, which can accommodate 1,000 female students, is part of UAF’s effort to enhance facilities for women pursuing higher education. Dr Ali directed staff to ensure the provision of state-of-the-art amenities at the new facility.
Highlighting UAF’s diverse academic community, he said the university currently enrolls over 35,000 students from across Pakistan and abroad. Dr Ali underscored the significance of women’s socioeconomic engagement in fostering national progress.
