Dawn : Rauf case: policemen remanded

Rauf case: policemen remanded

By A Reporter | December 18, 2007

RAWALPINDI, Dec 18: A local court remanded two policemen in police custody for six days here on Tuesday.

Special Judge Central Shaukat Ali Sajid gave Head Constable Mohammad Tufail and Constable Nawabzada in the custody of the Margalla police to interrogate the escape of Rashid Rauf, wanted in the Trans-Atlantic bomb plot case in London.

The policemen are facing charges of negligence and helping the accused Rauf to escape from the police custody. They were on duty when Rauf was produced in an Islamabad court in connection with his extradition application by British authorities.

In their preliminary statements, they said that Rauf escaped from an Adiala Road mosque where he was to offer his prayers. He was in the private car of his uncle on way back to the jail which helped him to escape.

Rashid Rauf, 26, a British national of Pakistani origin, was arrested in August 2006 by the Rawalpindi Airport police for allegedly carrying hydrogen peroxide and some fake documents.

An anti-terrorism court (ANT) in December 2006 dropped terrorism [charges] against him, however, the case was again taken up by the ATC after the orders of the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench. On November 15, 2007 the government withdrew charges against Rashid and detained him under preventive laws.