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       BAHAWALNAGAR: Four policemen of the Donga Bonga Police Station were booked while two of them, including the station house officer (SHO), were arrested for torturing a man to death in custody.

       The deceased was identified as 37-year-old Muhammad Tabeer, son of Muhammad Asghar, a resident of Basti Bara Sajwar Khan.

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       The first information report (FIR), filed by the deceased’s brother with the Donga Bonga police, alleged that Tabeer’s opponents bribed the local police to torture and murder him over a land dispute. The police had arrested Tabeer about five days ago at the behest of his two opponents, framed him in a false case and left him dead in the hospital and fled on April 30.

       It said there were multiple injury marks on the victim’s body. Police booked six people, including four policemen, on murder charges.

       The police and intelligence sources told Dawn that Tabeer was arrested on April 25 by Donga Bonga police and detained at the police station without any FIR. They said that during his detention, he was continuously tortured by Sub-Inspector Bashir and other officials.

       While declaring the deceased a mentally challenged person, a Special Branch report issued on April 30 (a copy available with Dawn) said Tabeer, armed with a weapon, forced his entry into the Donga Bonga Police Station on April 25 and was beaten by police personnel during an altercation.

       The report claimed that no case was registered against him at the time of his death. Police spokesperson Zahid Rasool said the deceased was an addict and had a criminal record, adding that a departmental inquiry into the matter had been launched.

       On the other hand, a press release issued by the DPO office on Thursday stated that the man was arrested in a theft case and he was shifted to hospital after his condition deteriorated in custody.

       It added that after the Bahawalnagar DPO took notice of the incident a case was filed against the SHO and other officials. It said that both the SHO and the moharrar had been arrested.

       Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2025