MULTAN: An inquiry team constituted on the direction of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general to probe the death of a line superintendent of the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) in the agency’s custody reached Multan on Saturday.
The funeral prayers for deceased Ziaul Haq were held at his native town of Vehari.
A test report of the deceased confirmed that he was infected with the coronavirus and the team of health department conducted the Covid-19 tests of the FIA staff and all the accused detained in the lock-up of the FIA office.
According to a laboratory report of the deceased’s samples conducted by the Nishtar Medical University and Hospital, the specimen of the deceased was collected through oropharyngeal swab and was received by the lab on April 16.The report was generated on the same day according to which the deceased tested positive.
Sources in the FIA stated the inquiry team, consisting of Additional Director General (North) Sajid Ikram and Deputy Director Adeel Abbas, reached Multan to probe the matter and recorded initial statements of the FIA Multan staff, including Deputy Director Khwaja Hammad who was currently in-charge of the office, investigation team and co-accused.
They said a judicial inquiry into the death of the deceased had also been initiated and a magistrate visited the hospital. The entire office and lock-up were disinfected while the Covid-19 tests of all the accused detained in the FIA lock-up of were conducted; however, due to the shortage of kits the tests of half of the staff could not be conducted.
They said an application to lodge the FIR against the relevant staff had been submitted to the police; however, efforts were under way to exclude the name of a high-ranking officer belonging to an influential family.
FIA Multan office in-charge Khwaja Hammad refused to comment while saying that he was not authorised to give any official version and only the interior ministry could give any statement on the issue.According to Ehsanul Haq,a brother of the deceased the FIA Multan called his brother Ziaul Haq and three other officials of Mepco for investigation on April 14. He said the four officials were taken into custody and an FIR was lodged against them.
He said that his brother informed the family about the arrest over which the family reached the FIA office where they held a meeting with Deputy Director Khwaja Hammad who is currently in-charge of the office.
“My brother was a patient of blood pressure and diabetes and when we met him he was not feeling well. Not only had we requested Khwaja Hammad for the medical checkup of my brother, we also approached him through various corners while requesting for the medical checkup but despite all our requests and promises made by Mr Hammad, the medical checkup of my brother was not conducted rather he along with other accused was presented before the area magistrate for their physical remand next morning.
“We also requested the magistrate for the medical checkup of my brother and he verbally directed the FIA team to first arrange the checkup of my brother,” he said.
He said that despite direction of the magistrate the medical checkup of his brother was not arranged rather he was tortured by the investigation team because of which he lost his life.
He said that when his brother died, the FIA officials made a call to Rescue 1122 and shifted the dead body to Nishtar Hospital. He said that the investigation officer of the case left the hospital after shifting the body while saying that the postmortem of the deceased would be conducted on Friday as the magistrate was not available.
He said that on Friday, they were presented before the court of four judges to get approval for the postmortem of the deceased which took the whole day.
He said that there were signs of torture when the dead body was shifted to dead house and he took the pictures of torture signs but next day when the magistrate came there were no signs on the body.
“I am sure they have removed the signs with some kind chemicals,” he claimed.
The FIA officials however claimed that the deceased was arrested in FIR No 98/2021 and he had some health issues over which the IO called the Rescue 1122 emergency service and rescue staff stated that the oxygen level of the patient was very low and he needed to be shifted to hospital over which the ambulance was called and patient was taken to Nishtar Hospital where he declared dead.
In a statement issued to media, the FIA Multan in-charge Mr Hammad stated that FIA Multan team consisting of sub-inspectors Muhammad Sheraz and Umar Farooq, constables Sadaqat Ali and Muhammad Bilal and head constable Naveed conducted two raids in Vehari on Wednesday night and recovered Mepco material placed in a factory near Chak No9/WB Joiyanwala, Mian Channu Road Vehari and Chaudhry Garden Vehari.
“The material includes transformers, conductors wire and other material was placed in these places for sale/misappropriation. The material was taken into possession and separate cases have been registered at FIA Circle Multan. Accused Mepco officials namely line superintendents Mr Zia (BS-15), Muhammad Waqar Anjam (BS-14) and Safdar Imam (BS-14) and lineman Abdul Majeed (BS-13) have been arrested accordingly.”
