GUJR AT: Serious irregularities have been detected in the police storeroom (maal khana) of the district during a special inspection on the orders of the district police officer (DPO).

DPO Rai Ijaz Ahmed also got three policemen arrested and a case lodged against four, including a retired officer, after fixing responsibility on them in three different inquiry reports.

The storeroom had never been inspected by a senior police official since 1986. The DPO had paid a visit to the store located in an old building adjacent to the district government complex around six months ago and sources said he was told the recovered items kept there had never been audited since 1986.

Official sources said the DPO had constituted three inspection and inquiry teams headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Legal) Akhtar Gondal and comprising some senior officials of the inspector rank to go through the recordandgoodsbeingkeptthere.

These inquiry committees had submitted their reports to the DPO a month ago after which he got another probe conducted, fixed responsibility and the police officials concerned were summoned at the DPO office on Tuesday.

According to the report submitted by the inquiry committees, at least 500 weapons, including 32Kalashnikovs, 20 222-bore guns, 420 30/32-bore pistols and at least 3,000 rounds, were missing from the store as perthe record.

Similarly, narcotics such as 45kg hashish, 21kg opium, two cars, six motorbikes, Rs1 million, gold jewellery worth a million, 18 mobile phones, 29,000 fake currency notes and 38 other valuable items were also found missing.

A case was lodged against four police officials -Sub-Inspector Muhammad Aslam, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Muhammad Hafeez, ASI Muhammad Nawaz and retired ASI Amjad Pervez -under Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Civil Lines police station. The three other policemen were arrested from the DPO office while the fourth one was yet to be arrested.

These irregularities were reportedly being recommended to the Anti-Corruption Establishment for further inquiry and a legal action against those arrested.

A senior police official requesting anonymity said the missing material worth millions of rupees had either been stolen by the officials concerned or fake cases of their recovery had been filed that the subordinate police used to do whenever pressed by senior officers to launch a campaign against arms and narcotics.

However, the official said the investigation ofhcers concerned should weigh both aspects while probing the case.