The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given police three days to recover Muhammad Usman, a Deputy Director of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who was allegedly abducted from the basement parking of his apartment on October 14.
During the hearing, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan warned that if the police failed to recover the missing officer within the given time, the Central Director of NCCIA and the Inspector General of Islamabad Police would be summoned to appear before the court in person.
The case took a serious turn when it was revealed that Usman’s wife, Rozina Usman, who had filed the petition for his recovery, is also missing. Her lawyer, Raja Rizwan Abbasi, informed the court that he had lost contact with her.
“I don’t know where the petitioner is. She told me over the phone that she was being pressured to withdraw the petition. Now her phone is switched off,” Abbasi told the court. He added that Usman was working on “sensitive cases” and was abducted by unknown men in a white Corolla with a fake number plate, as seen in CCTV footage.
Justice Azam Khan expressed concern over the police’s inaction, questioning how a vehicle with a fake plate could move freely in Islamabad despite checkpoints and CCTV surveillance.
“This is a very serious matter,” the judge remarked. “You must recover him; otherwise, we will take the same course as other benches have in similar cases.” He also directed the authorities to trace the call data records (CDRs) of the threatening calls allegedly made to the petitioner.
A representative of the Assistant Attorney General informed the court that a case had been registered at Shams Colony Police Station and requested more time for investigation. However, the court only granted three days for recovery efforts.
Police officials said they were making every effort and hoped to locate the missing officer “by this evening,” though they initially requested a seven-day extension.
The court adjourned the hearing, ordering police to submit a progress report on the recovery operation within three days.
