Amid growing numbers of property disputes and financial scams, law enforcement officials in Lahore suggested modifying Section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code to classify fraud and cheating as non-bailable crimes.
Stricter legal measures within the current statute are intended to offer stronger protection for victims of fraud through this recommendation.
Higher courts previously expressed worry about how Section 406 of the Pakistan Penal Code, covering criminal breach of trust, gets misused, leading to this action.
Judges noted that numerous FIRs filed under Section 406 fail to satisfy legal criteria for criminal breach of trust, which causes people to face imprisonment for unproven early-stage allegations.
The investigation wing of the Lahore police canceled over 200 cases filed under Section 406 citywide and released fresh Standard Operating Procedures for probing similar grievances in response to these judicial remarks.
According to a senior police official, property and financial disputes often see police filing charges under the non-bailable Section 406 incorrectly, whereas such cheating complaints properly belong under Section 420.
The official explained that changing the law will enable authorities to deal more firmly with fraud suspects and solve problems related to Section 406 misuse.
Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana led a meeting with senior investigation personnel where officials reviewed this recommendation.
