The Prosecution Office in the Warraq district of Giza ordered the chief detective in Shubra al-Khaimah's Second District Police Station and two of his assistants to be detained, pending investigations into claims they fabricated cases against suspects, used unlicensed and illegal firearms, and were involved in drug dealing.
The three police officers alledgedly collaborated with a fourth suspect called Fawzi, 42, from whom they bought the illegal firearms.
The number of suspects in the case now rises to a total of nine, including two police informants.
According to investigations, Fawzi was the first suspect arrested at a checkpoint in Warraq; he was in possession of four automatic firearms, and 14 locally-made guns.
During investigations, Fawzi confessed that two police informants help him with the arms trade for two lower-ranking police officers and one higher-ranking officer, who used them in fabricating cases against suspects.
One of the informants was arrested and confessed the details to crimes he committed with the suspects.
Fawzi, submitted recordings of phone calls between him and other suspects which proves their implication in the crimes.
Three arms dealers have also been arrested and they confessed to selling arms to the chief detective and his assistants.
The Prosecution Office in Warraq confronted the suspects with the charges leveled against them, which include obtaining firearms without licenses, drug trafficking and fraud; but they denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution confronted them with recordings of phone calls and conversations that prove their implication in the crimes, and ordered them to be detained pending investigations.
Judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Interior Ministry has now suspended the chief detective, his assistants, and the two police informants implicated in the case until investigations are concluded.
The sources added that more suspects are expected to be summoned for interrogation at the prosecution's office.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
