ISLAMABAD: A large cache of arms, seized by security forces during the Lal Masjid operation were stolen under mysterious circumstances from the Aabpara police station's heavily guarded treasury (mallkhana), Dawn has learnt.

The advisor to prime minister on interior, Rehman Malik suspended the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ahmad Latif, and the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Aabpara Shahzad Asif.

He ordered the registration of a case against the Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Naeem Iqbal, and fourteen other police officials on charges of criminal breach of trust, theft and burglary.

All the accused nominated in the FIR were suspended and arrested.

A large cache of arms, including AK 47’s, rocket launchers, anti-tank mines, grenades and a huge quantity of bullets had been seized by security forces during the Lal Masjid operation that ended on July 11, 2007.

All the arms were stored in the treasury (malkhana) of the Aabpara police station, being the ‘case property’, along with other goods which had been seized by police from other stations.

Surprisingly, nothing else including liquor bottles, jewellery, or other items were stolen, since all those goods were intact inside the lockup.

A source close to the police revealed that no locks were broken during the theft. It is believed that duplicate keys might have been used by the culprits, who broke into the lockup in the basement of the police station building.

He said the theft came to light on Saturday night when police observed some suspicious movement inside the station premises.

After the incident came to light, the police station was sealed and a search was launched. Sniffer dogs were also used to trace the culprits, but the ‘half hearted’ efforts proved unproductive.

The staff of the police station was investigated and some employees of nearby markets were taken into custody for questioning, but the police remained clueless.

A joint investigation team comprising police and the Federal Investigation Agency has been formed to investigate the theft.