March 28, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19, 1429

THATTA, March 27: The Makli police arrested five people from Ishaque Khoh village near Jungshahi on Wednesday and later freed three of them on the intervention of journalists.

Those arrested said that they were innocent and no case had been registered against them.

A police team, headed by Jungshahi police post in-charge Abdul Ghani Babbur, raided the village and arrested Nazir, Mataro, Soomar, Yaqoob and Bahadur, all Jokhio by caste. The police brought them to the Makli police station where they were reportedly tortured.

When journalists from Thatta reached the Makli police station

The police released three of them after 15 hours. However, Nazeer and Yaqoob were still in the lock-up.

Nazir told journalists the police had picked them up at the behest of an influential man and tortured them though there was no written complaint against them.

When contacted, the Makli SHO and the Thatta DPO were not available

for comments.

PROBE: A team of the National Accountability Bureau reached here on Wednesday and took into custody record of different dehs for investigation.

The team, headed by Sindh NAB director Riffat Rauf, was investigating reported sale of state land to some private and influential parties and forged entries in the record.

The NAB officials held a meeting with the DCO, the EDO Revenue and other officials. The EDO Revenue told the NAB officials that so far entries of 6,000 acres had been cancelled by his department.

ARREST: One robber was arrested after an encounter near Chilia late on Tuesday, police said.