HYDERABAD: Seven police officials were briefly held hostage by the supporters of a mainpuri manufacturer in 70-Mori village in Tando Mohammad Khan district on Tuesday before a heavy contingent of police drawn from different districts of Hyderabad range came to their rescue.

ASP Aleena confirmed that on the instructions of DIG Pir Mohammad Shah, she had raided a mainpuri factory run by one Akbar Leghari when a mob held the police party hostage.

“Neither did I receive injuries nor was held hostage,” she clarified amid reports she was among the hostages. The policemen were humiliated as well by the mob.

Six policemen suffered injuries during the scuffle with the mob and were brought to Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) city branch. No FIR was lodged and no formal statement was issued from the Hyderabad DIG office. Sources said two police teams had reached the area, one led by an ASP and the other by Zafar Chandio, said to be a member of DIG’s team.One policeman Imam Bux Zardari, who was not posted in Hyderabad, was also part of the team.

Zafar Chandio’s designation was not known nor the ASP was aware of it. Chandio was in DIG’s team when the latter served as the SSP Hyderabad. He is known for taking action against mainpuri sellers.

Aerial firing was reported in the area. Tando Mohammad Khan police were not taken in loop by their Hyderabad counterparts, said the sources.

Tando Mohammad Khan police led by SSP Abdullah Memon reached the village after around 90 minutes of the episode. The SSP was not available for comments.

The sources said both the teams faced stiff resistance and were maltreated. Later, police sources said, the DIG sought assistance from Thatta, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar and Badin police to rescue the hostages.

The sources said culprits still made away with a huge quantity of mainpuri stated to be around 1,200 bags. According to unconfirmed reports, 600 bags were seized.

The quantity of mainpuri also pertained to someone from Tando Allahyar; it was kept with Leghari who was still at large.

Police have also taken vehicles with them for seizure of mainpuri.

The injured policemen included police constables Shah Jehan (Badin), Ali Asghar Khoso and Yunus Khan (Tando Allahyar), Rafiq Ahmed Jatoi (Sujawal), Sajid Hussain (Jamshoro) and Arbab Ali Mangi (Matiari).

The DIG was unavailable for comment.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2022