LAHORE, Feb 25: Efroze Chemical’s Managing Director Nadir Feroze Khan and four other accused in the PIC spurious medicines scam managed to escape police custody on Monday after the district and sessions judge dismissed their pre-arrest bail petitions.

The other accused are Efroze general manager Shakil Khan, PIC storekeeper Zulfiqar Ali and distributors Tariq Rehman and Musharraf Rehman.

The moment judge Nazir Ahmad Gajana announced verdict on bail petitions, all the five accused left the courtroom swiftly while the police personnel present there did not bother to arrest them.

The judge, however, confirmed pre-arrest interim bails of four doctors -- Amir, Nasir Mahmood Bhatti, Waris and Muhammad Yousaf. They were directed to furnish surety bonds of Rs100,000 each. A government inquiry had held the pharmaceutical company guilty of providing a spurious medicine (Isotab) to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC). Hundreds of cardiac patients across the province had lost their lives after the use of this medicine.

Subsequently Shadman police registered a case against Nadir Feroze Khan and others involved in the scam.

In this case, the Supreme Court had taken notice of Nadir Khan’s arrest by the police despite pre-arrest bail granted by the sessions court. After getting him released from police custody, the SC had directed him to appear before the trial court for the confirmation of bail. The court had also ordered registration of a case against two policemen for arresting the accused despite being on interim bail.