Karachi court grants bail to SSP's son arrested following heated exchange with police in DHA

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Saturday granted bail to a serving police officer’s son, who was arrested in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) following a heated argument with officials for having a police number plate on a private luxury vehicle. A video of the man, identified as the son of a senior superintendent of police (SSP), arguing with policemen had gone viral on social media. He was released from custody late on Friday night on personal surety, police sources said. A first information report (FIR) was registered against the suspect by the Defence police on Friday on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Shazan Shakeel. It invoked sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing a public servant), 170 (personating a public servant) and 171 (wearing garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). On Saturday, the suspect appeared before the court of Judicial Magistrate (South) Aasim Aslam, who took up his bail application. Advocate Osama Ali and Faisal argued before the court as the suspect’s counsel. Advocate Ali contended that the FIR had been filed “even though an understanding had been reached between the police and the suspect”. The court order, seen by Dawn, stated that the suspect was “produced in police custody” and “did not complain of maltreatment at the hands of police”. While the investigating officer (IO) sought physical custody of the suspect “for further interrogation and collecting evidence”, the judge noted that the PPC sections invoked in the FIR were bailable offences. Therefore, the court granted bail to the suspect against surety bonds worth Rs50,000. In case of failure pay, the suspect shall be remanded into judicial custody until May 15. The magistrate further ordered the IO to complete the investigation and submit a final report within the stipulated time as per the law. In his complaint, the police officia