Bribe case lands cop in Adiala Jail

Senior Civil Judge Rawalpindi Nasrullah Watto rejected the Anti-Corruption Department's request for the physical remand of Sub-Inspector Shaukat Niazi, who was arrested on charges of taking a Rs20,000 bribe from Sadar Wah police station, and sent the accused police officer to Adiala Jail on judicial remand. When the hearing began, the arrested police officer told the court that the allegation was false and fabricated. He said the office room and cupboard remained open and the money had been taken from the cupboard and planted on him as part of a conspiracy. He said the money had not been recovered from his possession or during his personal search. "Anything that was not recovered from my personal search cannot be planted on me," he told the court. He said Rs20,000 was not a large amount and, had he taken a bribe, the money would have been in his pocket instead of being kept in the drawer of an open cupboard for 24 hours. The investigating officer of the Anti-Corruption Department sought the physical remand of the accused, but the court rejected the request. A bail petition has also been filed on behalf of the arrested police officer and has been admitted for hearing. The accused has been ordered to be produced before the court again on Sept 30.