KARACHI, Aug 24: Former nazim of Orangi was finally released on Wednesday by the police after over an 18-month detention. Mohammed Shahid Alam alias Guddu Bihari was arrested in February 2004 by the Anti-corruption Establishment. Later, he was booked in as many as 20 criminal cases.

On July 29, the district and sessions judge, East, Mohammad Sadiq Bhatti, had ordered registration of case against SHO of Sohrab Goth for keeping the former nazim in illegal detention and for disobeying the orders of the judicial magistrate.

The orders were issued on a habeas corpus petition filed on July 20 by Dr Shakir Alam, brother of the former nazim who was not released by the police despite being recovered by a judicial magistrate during a raid on a police kiosk.

Judge Bhatti directed the Judicial Magistrate Ahsan Khan Durrani to lodge an FIR against SHO Jameel Bangush and SI Muzaffar Ali Dehraj with the TPO of Gadap. The judge ordered that the TPO would register a case against them on the report submitted by the judicial magistrate.

On July 20, the judge had deputed JM Durrani for the recovery of former nazim from the police kiosk on the application of Dr Shakir Alam. Although the magistrate recovered Guddu Bihari from the police post, the police declined to release him.

Later, the police showed the arrest of former nazim in a double murder case. However, the police exonerated him from charges under Section 169 of the CrPC.

However, the former nazim was not released and the police arrested him in another case. Again the police submitted a report under Section 169 of the CrPC, exonerating the former nazim from charges in the attempt to murder case.

On Aug 20, the judicial magistrate, East, Zahid Hussain Maitlo sought report from investigation officer regarding the release of the former nazim in the murder attempt case.

The report was sought on an application submitted by Guddu’s defence counsel Shahadat Awan who sought release of his client from the illegal custody of the police.

He submitted that the former nazim was illegally arrested on July 18 from the Central Prison after his release on court orders.

The defence counsel submitted that the police implicated him in yet another case pertaining to attempt to murder on Aug 5 and showed his arrest in this false case.

The defence counsel apprehended that his client might be implicated in yet another case as done in the past. “It is prayed that he be called in the court and set free in the interest of justice”, he requested the court.

The court after preliminary hearing of the application called a report from investigation officer on Aug 22.

However, the investigation officer did not appear before the court on Aug 22 informing that he was sick. The court had then fixed Aug 25 for taking up the matter.