LARKANA: Suspended station house officer (SHO) of the Illahi Bukhsh Siyal police station Iqbal Kandhro, who had gone into hiding to evade his arrest in an alleged custodial death case, was apprehended on Wednesday.

Kandhro, along with several of his subordinates and two shopkeepers, was booked at the same police station after mysterious death of a 17-year-old youth, Kashif Ali Shah, in his custody a few hours after he and his younger brother, Rameez Ali Shah, were picked up and brought to the police station on Sunday.

Rameez was released but some of the suspected policemen transported Kashif, who was unconscious, back to his house in Faridabad village telling his family members that he had some health issues. Kashif was rushed to the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for treatment but the doctors who examined him declared him dead on arrival. His family accused the police of having tortured him to death. The Larkana DIG immediately suspended the SHO and his team members and ordered an inquiry into the episode.

Larkana SSP Tanveer Hussain Tunio talking to Dawn on Wednesday confirmed SHO Kandhro’s arrest. The police station’s moharir Syed Jehan Shah was arrested for interrogation on Monday while the two shopkeepers, Abdul Jabbar Siyal ad Abdul Ghaffar Siyal, and some other policemen remained at large till Wednesday evening.

The SSP said that Syed Jehan Shah (writer head constable) was being interrogated by SHO of the Market police station Abdul Malik Kamangar, who would also interrogate the other suspects when they would be arrested.

He said SHO Kandhro would be produced in a court on Thursday to obtain his remand.

Police investigators have also collected forensic evidence and recorded statements of the area people.

Meanwhile MLO Dr Zaid Ahmed issued Kashif’s post-mortem report which suggested asphyxia, by means of homicidal strangulation with the help of wire-type ligature and throttling, as the cause of his death.

It may be pertinent to mention here that the two shopkeepers had complained to the police about a theft in their shop. SHO Kandhro had claimed that local trackers followed the footprints of thieves that led the police to the place in Faridabad where Kashif and Rameez were present. They were eventually arrested and brought to the police station, he said.

Another official at the police station was on Sunday quoted as saying that Kashif had tried to commit suicide at the police station, a claim rejected by the bereaved family.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2018