By Riaz Narejo
DADU: In a landmark ruling, a court in Dadu has sentenced ten police officers to seven years’ imprisonment each and imposed heavy fines in a case involving a fake police encounter.
The verdict was delivered by the First Additional Sessions Judge of Dadu, who found the officers guilty of staging a fake encounter that resulted in the killing of a civilian.
According to court sources, Inspector Noor Mustafa Pathan and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ghulam Qadir Gopang were each sentenced to seven years in prison and fined PKR 1.1 million. The same punishment was handed down to ASI Nazir Panhore, Head Constable Dost Ali, Head Constable Abdul Sattar, District Police Constable (DPC) Abdul Sattar, and other police personnel identified as Alh Bachayo, Imran, and Ghulam Mustafa.
The case dates back to 2022, when police from the B-Section Police Station claimed that a man identified as Jibran, a resident of Punjab, had been killed during a police encounter. However, the encounter was later alleged to have been staged.
Following the incident, a criminal case was registered on the complaint of the victim’s mother, Mumtaz Begum, who challenged the police version of events and pursued legal action against the officers involved.
Meanwhile, another Dadu police official, Ershad Cheema, who had also been named in the case, was acquitted by the court due to insufficient evidence. Sources said that after the announcement of the verdict, the convicted officers fled the court premises.
