Taking notice of the double murder of two traders in Mithi, Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh on Tuesday ordered officials to submit a progress report of the investigation.

On Jan 5, Daleep Maheshwari, 42, and his brother, Chandar Mahesh­wari, 40 were shot dead at their shop by two unidentified persons who then stole money from their shop and fled, witnesses and police said, in what was described as a "rare" incident of violence in the area, sparking protests in various towns of Tharparkar and Umerkot.

Some witnesses told the police that the victims offered resistance upon which the robbers opened fire killing one of them, Daleep, on the spot. Chandar was rushed to the Mithi Civil Hospital in a critical condition where he succumbed to his wounds, they added.

The court ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Thar Amir Saud Magsi, the deputy inspector general Mirpurkhas, and district and sessions judge Thar to appear in court on Wednesday to submit a report regarding the incident.

Magsi had earlier told Dawn that two suspects had been picked up for interrogation. He said the Sindh inspector general had announced a Rs500,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the culprits.

On Monday, Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal visited the brothers' family and assured them that the killers would be arrested soon.