KARACHI: Police on Wednesday took into custody the younger brother of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) chairman and two others for interrogation regarding the recent escape of an undertrial prisoner (UTP) booked in two cases pertaining to kidnapping of as many young girls for ransom in Defence in 2019.

A JSQM spokesperson said the police raided the house of party chairman Sana’an Qureshi in Gulshan-i-Hadeed late on Tuesday night and detained his younger brother, Kausan Ali Qureshi.

Following the police action, JSQM activists took to street across the province and held demonstration including a protest rally outside the Karachi Press Club in the evening.

Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur told Dawn that police “detained” Kausan Ali Qureshi along with two other persons from Gulshan-i-Hadeed.

He said investigators wanted some information about Qureshi’s relative, UTP Zohaib Qureshi, the prime accused in Bisma Saleem and Dua Mangi kidnapping cases, who had recently escaped from a shopping mall.

He said the case against accused Zohaib had already been registered at the Ferozabad police station and the detention of Kausan was related to the same case as the escapee was his cousin.

“At present, the police are mainly interested in seeking information about the whereabouts of the escaped accused,” he said.

The police released Kausan and two others late in the evening.

JSQM spokesperson Illahi Bux Bikak confirmed that all three had been released from police custody and reached home

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022