Pakistan cricketer exposes Police Extortion in Sindh, four cops arrested and two suspended

Pakistani cricketer Sohaib Maqsood recently shed light on the rampant corruption that plagues Pakistan. Maqsood's distressing experience with the corrupt police system in Sindh and the subsequent protest has landed those accused behind bars.

The Pakistan player opened up on a bitter experience of his in Sindh when policemen allegedly extorted money from him.

What happened with Sohaib Maqsood

Maqsood, who represents Punjab in domestic cricket, was travelling to Multan for his next National T20 Cup game when he faced the brunt of corruption. Despite identifying himself as a professional cricketer, he was frequently intercepted by unethical policemen in Sindh. The cricketer was coerced into paying a bribe of PKR 8,000 to these officials. He shared his ordeal on X, a social media platform, expressing how corruption was at its peak in the Sindh police department.

Sohaib Maqsood's revelation on X sent shockwaves through the rank and file of the Sindh police department.

"We are so lucky that we live In Punjab not in Sindh first time in my life I am travelling from Karachi to Multan by Road and sindh police is so corrupt that they stop you after 50 km and ask for money or they threat you to go to the police station for no reason if you give them money then they will stop you again after 50 km and ask for money again corruption at it's peak in sindh police. We told them that we are international cricketers travelling to multan after our match in Karachi they still took 8000 thousand rupees and then let us go it will," Maqsood wrote on his X profile.

The player also claimed that they had to stop overnight to get away from those police officers. And Maqsood and the other passengers were checked by police again and the behaviour of the policemen was rude.

At least four police officers were arrested and two others were suspended from the Sarkand region on Tuesday. In response to the incident, Sindh Inspector General Raffat Raja issued a statement emphasizing the need for stern action against the personnel involved.

Sindh's Deputy Inspector General of Police, Pervaiz Chandio said the accused already admitted their offence.

"These officers were on patrol along a Sakrand road when the incident took place. They have confessed to charging cricketer Sohaib Maqsood Rs 3,000 as a fine for using a fancy number plate and beam lights," he said while speaking to Dawn.

Questions have arisen about the safety of an ordinary citizen in Sindh when even international cricketers are not being spared by corrupted Pakistani law enforcers.