LAHORE - A fraudster while posing himself as Member of the Nation Assembly (MNA) dodged the top police officers for no less than 20 times in the province to get the policemen transferred as per his wishes.
Police officials on Monday claimed that the fraudster, later identified Asim Aslam, was arrested and was being interrogated by the police in the lock-up of the Civil Lines police station.
The police have also arrested two accomplices of the accused, identified as Junior Clerk Shahzad Ilyas Ghuman and Naib Qasid Binyameen. Both the accomplices of the main accused were said to the officials of the police department.
According to the police, the ‘MNA’ during preliminary interrogation confessed to investigators that he got as many as 20 policemen transferred to different police stations and offices after accepting bribe from the serving police officials. About his modus operandi, police said, the accused used to contact top officers on telephone by introducing himself as MNA or minister, requesting them to provide him a favour since he was the senior member of a political party.
In a press statement, police claimed the ‘MNA’ telephoned SSP (Admin) Tariq Abbas Qurashi and introduced himself as MPA Hassam-ud-Din Khosa and requested the SSP for transfer of Sub-Inspector Muhammad Rafiq. The SSP smelled a rat and directed his Personal Staff Officer to probe into the matter.
Later, it was proved that the call was bogus and the caller was in fact a fraudster. A case was registered against the accused under Telegraph-Act.
Investigations police Civil Lines are interrogating the accused and his accomplices. A departmental inquiry has also been ordered against the police officials, Junior Clerk Shahzad Ilyas Ghuman, and Naib Qasid Binyameen, for helping the accused in deceiving the police officers.
A police spokesman said that Capital city Police Officer (CCPO) Amjad Javed Saleemi has announced cash prize and commendatory certificates for the PSO to SSP (Admin) for exposing the imposter.