SUKKUR, Nov 23: Two low-ranking officials of a sessions court were arrested by the Rohri police for their alleged involvement in making fake acquittal orders of three undertrial prisoners that resulted in their release from the Sukkur central prison, police said on Friday.

They said that Abdul Qayum Golo, a clerk of the 2nd additional sessions court Jacobabad, and court bailiff Nazir Ahmed Dasti in connivance with some jail officials had prepared fake acquittal orders of the three UTPs — Lemoo son of Tegho Rind, Noor Muhammad Khoso son of Moula Bux and Akram Kehar — who had been released from prison on Oct 24 and Oct 27.

Sources said that jail officials came to know about the release of the three UTPs on fake orders when the sessions court, where cases against them were pending trial, sent their production orders.

An inquiry was initiated by Jacobabad District and Sessions Judge Amjad Ali Bohio and suspect Dasti stated before him that a police constable, identified as Amir Brohi, had played a key role in the preparation of the fake orders as well as the release of the UTPs.

However, Jacobabad SSP Muhammad Younus Chandio in his written statement before the sessions judge said that no police constable of the name of Amir Brohi was working in the Jacobabad police and the statement of suspect Dasti was wrong.

On Thursday, two separate cases were registered against eight persons — including the clerk, the bailiff and constable Brohi — on a complaint of deputy superintendent Qalander Bux of the Sukkur central prison at the Rohri police station.

The cases were registered under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 466 (forgery of record of court or of public register, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 477 (fraudulent cancellation, destruction, etc, of will, authority to adopt, or valuable security), 217 (public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save persons from punishment or property from forfeiture) and 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

They said that the three UTPs were still at large and the police were making all-out efforts to arrest them. They were facing trial in murder and possession of illicit weapons cases, the police added.

The police said that sometime back about 150 prisoners, including the three UTPs, were shifted to the Sukkur central prison from the Jacobabad district prison.

They said that besides the two held suspects, some personnel of the central jail were also associated in the investigation.

DIG Prisons (Sukkur) Gulzar Channa was also conducting a departmental inquiry.

The police chose to not share any further details with regard to the ongoing probe.

Sukkur SSP Pir Muhammad Shah said that the release of the three prisoners on fake orders was a very sensitive issue and the district police were also holding an inquiry.

Jacobabad District and Sessions Judge Amjad Ali Bohio had completed the official inquiry of the court staff and sent his report to the Sindh High Court.