LAHORE     -   Parvez Elahi’s alleged frontman managed to escape from anti-corruption custody in Gujran­wala on Wednesday.

Arrested in an anti-corrup­tion case lodged against former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Moonis Elahi’s close aide Sohail Asghar escaped from the custody of the anti-cor­ruption police in Gujranwala. An­ti-corruption establishment al­leged that fugitive Mr Awan had awarded contract of construc­tion and repair of Nabiha Bridge to Chitanwala Road Gujrat to his favourite contractor. Awan has also been accused of awarding repair and construction of road to his favourite contractor taking 5 million as kickback.

According to anti-corruption sources, the accused was be­ing shifted to a hospital after his health deteriorated during custo­dy. The unidentified people riding on a 4-wheel vehicle approached the official vehicle near the Gen­eral Bus Stand and stopped it by force and took Awan with them forcibly. Investigative journalist Hassan Naqvi in his vlog claimed that on Wednesday Sohail Asghar was ready to give a confessional statement against Parvez Elahi under Section 164 just before he was kidnapped by some people.

The accused Sohail Asghar was in custody of the ACE police on a two-day physical remand and was to be produced in court again on Wednesday. Sohail Asghar was accused of giving kickbacks to Parvez Elahi by getting contracts in development projects. The case of Parvez Elahi’s frontman Sohail Asghar escaping from anti-corruption custody has been reg­istered on the complaint of circle officer anti-corruption in Model Town police station of Gujranwala. Asghar Awan was detained from Sessions Court Lahore by anti-corruption Punjab last month. Spokesman Anti-Corruption claimed that the case against the former CM had been registered on the basis of solid evidence, adding Parvez Elahi and Company had received a bribe of Rs 12.5 crore for payment of Rs 2.9 billion to a foreign company through Lahore Waste Management Company.

The spokesman further claimed that the deal of Pervez Elahi, Moo­nis Elahi and Muhammad Khan Bhatti was arranged by Zubair Khan, a friend of Monis Elahi. Parvez Elahi received RS65 mil­lion for the due amount of the foreign company. According to the anti-corruption spokesperson, the accused Parvez Elahi, Moonis Ela­hi, Muhammad Khan Bhatti and Zubair Khan, misused their pow­ers, to pressurise Lahore Waste Management Company Ali Anan Qamar to make an immediate pay­ment of Rs2.9 billion.