An anti-terrorism court has acquitted two customs officials of the charges of depriving a trader of his 25 precious falcons and demanding Rs10 million extortion.Pakistan Customs deputy collector Saifullah Khan Niazi and preventive officer Rana Azeem Sarwar were charged with looting cash, gold ornaments and 25 falcons from Basheer Ahmed’s house in DHA Phase IV in October 2020.
The ATC-XV noted that the complainant miserably failed to prove the charges against both the officers, and thus acquitted them by extending the benefit of the doubt. In his private complaint, Ahmed had said that the customs officials, Niazi, Sarwar and Malik Iftikhar alias Bill, along with their four unknown subordinates, illegally entered his house by climbing the walls on the night of October 14, 2020 and looted Rs500,000, five mobile phones and 25 falcons at gunpoint.
He said he had a valid licence for the trade of expensive birds but the accused allegedly demanded Rs10 m extortion to allow him to continue his business.
