Two spare parts dealers in Peshawar have accused a local deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and other police personnel of allegedly shielding suspects involved in an armed robbery in which goods worth more than Rs10 million were reportedly stolen from their shop.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, brothers Qasim Subhan and Fazal Subhan, who operate a business in Naak Market in Shoba Bazaar, called on the capital city police officer (CCPO) to intervene and ensure the arrest of those responsible.
The brothers, residents of Khushal Town in the Jharra area on the outskirts of Peshawar, alleged that police had failed to take effective action despite receiving information about the suspects and CCTV footage of the incident.
According to Fazal Subhan, approximately 13 armed men entered their shop at around 2pm on Friday and held him and his two sons at gunpoint.
He claimed that the assailants loaded spare parts valued at more than Rs10 million into a wagon before leaving the premises in broad daylight.
The armed men also allegedly took Rs600,000 in cash and two mobile phones belonging to his son, Hamza.
Fazal identified Israr Ahmed, a resident of Gul Dara in Kacha Kachals, and Bakht Mohammad, a resident of Doranpur, Peshawar, as the alleged leaders of the group involved in the robbery.
He said he immediately contacted Police Emergency 15 and informed the Khan Raziq Shaheed police station about the incident, but officers allegedly failed to respond promptly.
According to the complainant, police personnel did not inspect the shop until approximately 8pm, around six hours after the reported robbery.
Fazal maintained that the family had supplied investigators with CCTV footage and the identities of the suspected perpetrators, but no arrests had been made.
He further alleged that the name of another suspect, identified as Habib, had been excluded from the first information report (FIR) despite the family’s identification of him.
The trader specifically accused DSP Shahenshah Khan of attempting to obstruct the investigation and providing protection to those allegedly involved in the incident.
The brothers urged the CCPO to order an impartial investigation, take action against any police officials found responsible for misconduct and ensure the recovery of their stolen merchandise and cash.
They also demanded the immediate arrest of the suspects, expressing concern over what they described as a lack of progress in the case despite the evidence they had provided.
The allegations against the police officials and the individuals named by the complainants could not be independently verified.