KARACHl: Former SHO of Gulistan-iJauhar Sub-Inspector (SI) Kamran Qureshi was dismissed from service on Saturday over charges of misconduct in the Mir Raza Ali murder case.
Mir Raza’s bullet-riddled body was found in a Gulistan-i-Jauhar area on July 29. He had gone missing on July 28.
On Aug 9, police authorities had suspended Mr Qureshi and reverted him to the rank of assistant sub-inspector. In October, a judicial commission headed by Justice Omar Sial of the Sindh High Court had recommended to the Sindh government to initiate an inquiry against the former SHO over possible facilitation of the destruction of evidence.
According to an order issued by Karachi police chief Azad Khan on Saturday, the former SHO was required to secure the crime scene and ensure compliance with the prescribed standard operating procedures, but he failed to do so and as a result, the ‘crime scene could not be processed promptly, which caused delay in forensic examination and possible loss of important circumstantial evidence’.
Central SSP Imran Khan was tasked with conducting an inquiry against the official and he found that the SHO had failed to discharge his responsibilities as he neither ‘visited the place of occurrence himself nor ensured that the crime scene was secured through appropriate directions’.
The SSP recommended major punishment under Sindh (Efficiency & Discipline) Rules, 1988 to the former SHO.
The SHO was issued a show-cause notice but he did not submit a written reply. He later presented a verbal explanation on Nov 13, which was not found satisfactory, the order added.
The city police chief stated that he agreed with the recommendation of the inquiry officer and ‘awarded major punishment of dismissal from service’ to Mr Qureshi.