Lahore police have proposed amendments to Section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to make fraud and cheating offenses non-bailable amid rising complaints of financial scams and property disputes.
The proposal aims to provide greater legal protection to fraud victims by introducing stricter provisions under the existing law.
The move follows concerns raised by the higher judiciary over the misuse of Section 406 of the PPC, which deals with criminal breach of trust.
Courts have observed that many cases registered under Section 406 do not meet the legal requirements for criminal breach of trust, resulting in individuals being jailed for offenses that are not established at the initial stage.
Following these observations, the Lahore police’s investigation wing has canceled more than 200 cases registered under Section 406 across the city and issued new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigating similar complaints.
A senior police official said most fraud and cheating complaints should be handled under Section 420. However, police have frequently registered cases under the non-bailable Section 406, particularly in financial and property disputes.
The official said the proposed amendment would allow authorities to take stricter action against fraud suspects while addressing concerns over the misuse of Section 406.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting chaired by Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana, attended by senior investigation officials.
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