HYDERABAD, Nov 26: Following the escape of five alleged bandits from custody on Thursday, police have picked up 12 people, including relatives of accused, during raids in the city and Karachi.

Police sources said Adnan Sheikh, Adnan Kaimkhani, Hamid, Zahid Mughal and Ashraf Thaheem alias Shaka had been arrested about eight days back by the investigation wing of the A-section police in connection with different cases of robbery in the city.

Two motorbikes, one TV set, one VCD player, some cash and ornaments were recovered from them. The alleged bandits were under interrogation when they escaped on Thursday from a window of a room on the upper storey of the police station.

Their detention had not been recorded and they had not been produced before any court for remand. A source said that the goods recovered had been looted from homes in Latifabad-9 and some other areas.

As per the Police Order 2002 the investigation wing police operate separately in their field as they have to investigate the case once it is handed over to them after registration at the police station.

They did not share their information and work with the operation wing police. Talking to this correspondent, DSP investigation Younis Chandio said the accused were not in their custody. He said if they were police would have maintained their record.

Latifabad TPO Pervez Chandio said the investigation wing police maintained entirely separate record of the accused. He said the operation police handed over the accused to investigation police for interrogation.

He said that the operation side was not concerned with any such case. During raids in the city and Karachi police picked up Majid and four others in Karachi. Around seven suspects and family members of the five member gang were also picked up by the police.

They were detained at the A-section police station. A session court official, Tariq Hashmani, paid a surprise visit to the A-section police station on Thursday.

He was appointed raid commissioner by the Hyderabad sessions judge after an application was moved by Sakina, the mother of Ashraf, praying for her son's recovery. She claimed her son was in custody of the A-section police for the last 10 days. However, the detained person was not there.