Rawalpindi - As many as four notorious car-lifters managed to escape from police custody while the regional police chief suspended 9 cops including the station house officer for showing negligence and hiding the arrest of car lifters, reliable sources at RPO Office disclosed on Monday.

The auto theft gang members fled from custody of Police Post Jabba (controlled by Police Station Attock Khurd) at 11pm on 23/12/2017, sources said.

The suspended police officers and cops were identified as Sub Inspector (SI) Mushtaq Ahmed, the Station House Officer (SHO) Police Station Attock Khurd, Qalb-e-Abbas, Police Picket Jaba Incharge, ASI Irfan Ahmed, Head Constable/Moharar Zubair Iqbal, constables Sarmad Afzal, Yasir Malik, Muhammad Ashfaq, Talat Abbas and Muhammad Usman, the Detective Foot Constable (DFC), sources said.

A case has also been lodged against the police officials under sections 223/224 of PPC and 155-C of Police Order 2002, however, no arrest was made so far.

According to sources, a police team of Police Picket Jaba has arrested four members of a car lifting gang and put them behind the lockup. The car lifters were identified as Sajjad Ahmed, Mohsin Zada, Hayyat Ahmed and Waqas Khan.

They said the police picket in-charge had not showed the official arrest of the accused and kept them in illegal detention for more than one month. They said the investigators did not reveal the arrest of auto-theft gang members apparently to make money.

Another source claimed the car lifters were set free by the in-charge of police picket after receiving a hefty bribe.

 “The members of auto theft gang cut the bars of lock up, scuffled and injured two cops Atif Shehzad and Tahir, the wireless operator and fled from police picket,” said DPO Attock Ibadat Nisar when contacted. He claimed fleeing car lifters were arrested again by police raiding teams.

 However, RPO Wisal Fakhar, when contacted, has exposed the lie of DPO saying the police are trying to arrest the fleeing car lifters. He said SHO and cops were suspended on his instructions by DPO. A detailed inquiry has also been ordered into matter while strict departmental action would also be taken against the guilty police officers and cops, he said.