CHINIOT: Five persons, including a former union council nazim, were arrested for electricity theft and alleged torture of a vigilance team of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) at Ahmadabad village. Sadar police have arrested five persons, including an ex-nazim of Ahmadabad UC, Syed Hasnain Shah, after registering a first information report (FIR) under sections 506, 342, 148, 149, 186, 462. 337-A-I and 337-L of the Pakistan Penal Code against them. According to the FIR lodged on the complaint of Chiniot Division Fesco Executive Engineer Syed Faheem Shah, a four-member divisional task force team of the company went to Ahmadabad village, where the suspects were allegedly found stealing electricity directly from the main supply line at their outhouse and residence. It said when the team disconnected the electricity supply, the suspects Hasnain Ali, his brother Hussain Ali, Naeem, Ahmad Ali and four unidentified men, who were allegedly under the influence, attacked the task force members with sticks, rods and pistol butt.
As a result, three of the team members, Khalid Mehmood, Amir Shahzad and Sarfraz sustained serious head and face injuries. As per the FIR, the suspects took the team members hostage, locked them up in a room of their outhouse and forced them to restore electricity supply. However, the fourth member of the team, Ilyas, managed to escape from the outhouse and called police for help through 15 helpline. On receiving the call, a team of Saddar police reached the spot, rescued the team members and shifted them to the district headquarters hospital. The police arrested the four nominated suspects and one of their accomplice, recovering liquor bottles, a pistol and rods used in the attack. Meanwhile, the Fesco officials imposed Rs1,500,000 detection bill on Hasnain for power theft.
(Daily Dawn)
**********