25 December 2004	Saturday	12 Ziqa'ad 1425

HYDERABAD, Dec 24: In-charge additional registrar of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, Ghulam Mustafa Channa, found five people in illegal detention, four of them hand-cuffed, during a raid at the Matli police station on Friday.

He was appointed raid commissioner by the court on a petition filed by Ms Rehana who stated that her son Mohammad Irshad had been picked up by the Matli police without any reason and detained at the police station.

She said that a civil dispute existed with a party which had resulted in his illegal detention. No FIR was lodged against him and police demanded Rs50,000 bribe for his release, she alleged.

The court asked the official to search the police station and its other premises for recovery of the man. The court official raided the police station and duty officer sub-inspector Ismail told him that no one had been held there in illegal detention.

However, in a room within the police station, Mr Irshad and four others, Basharat Ali, Mumtaz Mallah and Sattar Mallah and Lalu, were found in illegal detention. The last four had been handcuffed in pair of twos.

The duty officer said that cases were pending against them but he failed to show any relevant document. The raiding official noted that there was neither a remand of the detained people nor any FIR against them.