NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: A man, arrested on charges of selling gutka, was allegedly killed by a suspect in a murder case who shared lockup with him in Tharushah police station on Sunday. However, the victim’s father accused police of torturing his son to death.

Tharushah SHO Ashraf Memon told reporters that Azhar Ali Memon, a shopkeeper in Darbelo town, was arrested on the charges of selling gutka on Saturday night and kept in the lockup where another suspect in a murder case Solangi was already present.

At 1:30 am Azhar and Solangi fought over a bed. Solangi pinned him to the wall and hit his head with a brick during the scuffle, he said.

He said that police took the victim to the Naushahro Feroze Civil Hospital in a critical condition where doctors declared him dead and then they brought the body to Tharushah hospital for a post-mortem examination.

He said that duty officer Rasheed Ahmad Solangi, constables Waqar Ahmad Sahito and Rashid Ali had been suspended for negligence in duty and an FIR registered against the Solangi under Section 302 of CrPc.

However, the victim’s father, Mazhar Memon, told reporters that he believed police had tortured his son to death.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2020