SAHIWAL: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rana Ayaz Saleem has suspended Kalyana Police SHO Haroonur Rasheed for alleged negligence and poor performance in arresting the main suspects involved in an attack on an Arifwala sub-division Mepco enforcement team in Pakpattan district.
According to reports, a four-member Arifwala sub-division Mepco team, led by Line Superintendent-H Rana Abdul Rahim, was conducting anti-power theft operations in variousvillages on Tuesday.
During inspections at Mouza Mahanat Darshan, officials found Muhammad Abbas and Shamoon illegally drawing electricity directly from transmission lines through hooks. Similar theft was detected at Chak Varsain, where Waheed Hussain was alsofound stealing electricity from the main line.
After disconnecting illegal connections and removing three electricity meters, the team was returning in an official vehicle when three motorcyclists allegedly intercepted them near the Khadar Canal, close to Chak Varsain, ataround 11:35pm. The attackers fired two shots at the vehicle before fleeing the scene. One bullet struck the vehicle, while the other hit Meter Reader Muhammad Musa, leaving him critically injured. The team immediately drove to a nearby petrol station and called the police emergency 15 helpline.
Rescue 1122 personnel reached the scene and shifted the injured official to the Pakpattan DHQ Hospital. Hospital sources said that Musa was in critical condition.
The Kalyana police subsequently registered an FIR against three suspects on the complaint of Arifwala SDO Fakhar Imam, however, no suspect was arrested.
Sources told Dawn that Kalyana police failed to pursue the caseand arrest the suspects with the required urgency despite the seriousness ofthe attack.
On Wednesday, senior Mepco officials approached RPO Saleem and briefed him on the case. Taking notice of the alleged police inaction, the RPO summoned Pakpattan DPO Javed Chadhar, DSP Mahar Waseem and the Kalyana SHO.
Speaking to Dawn, Saleem confirmed that SHO Haroonur Rasheed had been suspended for negligence in handling the case.
Pakpattan DPO Javed Chadhar told Dawn that Muhammad Azhar had been appointed as the new SHO of the Kalyana police.
He said that police were raiding different locations to arrest the suspects.