KARACHI – In a shocking abuse of power, an Assistant Superintendent of Karachi Central Jail has been suspended following allegations of kidnapping, torturing, and robbing citizens who were visiting the jail colony.
The Incident
According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at New Town Police Station, the complainant, Muhammad Faraz Jilani, stated he had gone to Central Jail Colony to visit a relative. He was accompanied by his friends—Syed Hassan, Bassam Qadir, Mohsin Hussain, and Ebad Rashid. While they were there, Assistant Superintendent Ahsan Mehr, allegedly in an inebriated state, approached the group and began hurling verbal abuses.
Allegations of Torture and Extortion
The complainant detailed a harrowing ordeal in the FIR, stating that Mehr summoned a jail mobile unit, forced the men into the vehicle, and moved them to a room inside the jail premises where they were subjected to physical assault by the officer and other unidentified individuals. The victims further alleged that the officer forcibly snatched their mobile phones and Rs. 40,000 in cash from Jilani. Furthermore, they were reportedly coerced into recording videos “confessing” to drug use and were made to sign a formal apology under duress. The officer also allegedly threatened to implicate them in false drug and weapon cases or kill them if they resisted.
Official Action
Following the outcry, IG Prisons took immediate notice of the incident. Assistant Superintendent Ahsan Mehr has been suspended from his post, and a departmental inquiry has been initiated. DIG Aslam Malik has been appointed to lead the investigation and submit a comprehensive report to higher authorities. The police have registered the case under sections related to illegal confinement, physical assault, and criminal intimidation. While the mobile phones were eventually returned, the stolen cash remains missing.
