RAWALPINDI: Former Additional District Collector Revenue (ADCR) Sialkot Iqbal Sanghera, arrested in a major corruption case, escaped from police custody while being transported back to Lahore.
According to officials, Sanghera had been produced before the Anti-Corruption Court Rawalpindi on November 13. On the return journey, he fled from the Chakri Motorway rest area with the assistance of accomplices.
Inspector Asghar, the judicial guard from Adiala Jail accompanying the suspect, informed Chakri Police of the escape. Subsequently, the police registered a case against four officials under Sections 223, 224, 225, and 155C of the Pakistan Penal Code on Inspector Asghar’s complaint.
ASI Zafar Iqbal, Constable Yasir, Ahmed Bilal, and driver Shahzad have been nominated in the FIR, while a departmental inquiry has also been initiated into the lapse during judicial remand. Anti-corruption officials said the accused is alleged to have taken bribes worth crores of rupees in exchange for issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) to a housing society. They added that Sanghera’s escape was made possible due to negligence or possible connivance of the police. He is also wanted in cases registered with both the Rawalpindi and Lahore Anti-Corruption Divisions.
In a separate case, the Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi sentenced two men to a combined 11-and-a-half years in prison for wounding a police constable during a checkpoint firing incident. Both convicts were also ordered to pay Rs50,000 fine each in compensation to the injured officer.
Saddar Wah Police had registered the case on January 30, 2023, under Sections 324, 353, 186 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 13-2A of the Punjab Arms Amendment Ordinance 2015. The FIR alleged that the suspects had opened fire and seriously injured Inspector Aamir.
Police later arrested the accused, Salim Khan and Murad Khan. Upon completion of the trial on Monday, the court sentenced Salim Khan to six years in prison and a fine of Rs10,000 under various provisions, while Murad Khan received a total of five-and-a-half years imprisonment under related sections.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently and made their release conditional on payment of fines and compensation. Both men were acquitted of attempted murder (Section 324) and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. They were also granted the benefit of Section 382-B of the Criminal Code, allowing their pre-trial detention period to be counted toward their sentence.
