HYDERABAD, March 13: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the SHO, the ACLC officials and investigation wing of the Bhitai Nagar police station, DPOs (operation and investigation wings) and the additional advocate general, Sindh.

The notices were issued in a petition, seeking registration of a murder case against the officials of the anti-car lifting cell, including its official in charge Mahboob Ali Sipyo.

The constitutional petition was filed against Sipyo and other ACLC officials in the wake of killing of a estate agency owner, Hubdar Leghari, in an alleged police encounter in Qasimabad on Feb 27.

Hearing of the petition, filed by the father of the deceased, Rasool Bukhsh Leghari, was adjourned till April 7.

His son was in a barber’s shop at Naseem Nagar Chowk on Feb 27 when Manzoor Jatoi and Ghulam Shabbir Kalhoro asked him to arrange a house on rent for them, the petitioner said.

He said that his son showed them several houses in different localities but when they returned, the policemen — Sipyo, Nisar Ahmed Brihmani, Zahid Iqbal Chandio, Abdul Aziz and Mohammad Ishaq — opened fire at them, killing Manzoor on the spot and injuring Shabbir and Hubdar who later succumbed to his injuries.

The petitioner said that witnesses — Ahmed Ali Leghari, Ghulam Mustafa Leghari, Mohammad Nawaz, Abdullah and Mohammad Khan — tried to help the injured but they were forcibly stopped by the police from doing so.

He said that he approached the Bhittai Nagar police to lodge a case but they were threatened with dire consequences, adding that instead of registration of an FIR, a false criminal case of an encounter was lodged against the deceased.

Body of the deceased was handed over to his family but his belongings— including cash, a wrist watch and a locket— were missing, adding that on the same night the police raided the deceased’s house and took away Rs75,000, a jewellry set worth Rs85,000, photographs, video cassettes, NICs and property and land documents.

The petitioner contended that the police officials involved in the case were “powerful and dangerous” and their “agents” were issuing threats to his family.

Sipyo, he added, was trying to influence, threaten and discourage witnesses by misusing his official position.

He prayed the court to direct the Bhittai Nagar police to register an FIR against Sipyo and other policemen, adding that they should be restrained from harassing him and his relatives.

He further requested that the ACLC officials should be asked not to interferer in the investigation of his son’s murder case.