SUKKUR: The SHO of Jacobabad’s Civil Lines police station and three of his subordinates were booked and locked up after a youth died in their custody hours after he was picked up.

Two private persons were also booked in the alleged custodial killing case.

The action was taken by Jacobabad SSP Syed Saleem Shah after he was apprised of the incident during a protest demonstration by the shocked bereaved family and their charged community members. The protesters had pitched a tent across the Shaheed Allah Bakhsh Park section of the National Highway. The vehicular traffic on the highway remained suspended during the course of the demonstration.

SSP Shah had proceeded to the venue after the Civil Lines police failed to persuade the protesters to clear the thoroughfare.

JIT formed to investigate episode; two other suspects also nominated in FIR

The bereaved family told the SSP that the youth, Mohammad Imran, son of Abdul Razzaq Katto, was picked up and taken to the Civil Lines police station on Monday after an altercation with some of their community members over some trivial issue. They stated that after the altercation, Ali Dino Katto, had lodge a non-cognisable complaint (NC) against Imran. They said they had met Imran in the lock up late Monday evening to provide food and water to him. “Imran was absolutely fit and fine until we left the lock-up,” they said.

Imran’s brother, Ishfaq Katto, who also happened to be a policeman, speaking to the SSP and media personnel, claimed that SHO Mushtaq Bhangwar and his three subordinate policemen, Ashfaq Jakhrani, Muzaffar Channa and Ghulam Hussain Talani, along with Ali Dino Katto and his associate Siraj Ahmed Katto subjected Imran to intense torture in the lock-up during the night. He claimed that the torture might have led to his brother’s death.

Ishfaq told the SSP that the policemen informed him and other family members that they had found Imran’s body lying in a locality near the Circuit House area and transported it to the Jacobabad Civil Hospital for a postmortem examination. Ishfaq argued that who could his brother die suddenly away from the police station when they had left him fit and fine in the lock-up hours before his death.

JIT formed

After ordering registration of a murder FIR against the SHO and his three subordinate policemen along with the two private persons, the SSP constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the whole episode in the light of the allegations as mentioned in the FIR registered vide crime No. 92/2024 under Sections 302, 342 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Headed by Saddar DSP Sultan Chandio, the JIT has City DSP Gul Hassan Thebo and Headquarters DSP Shahzaman Baig Dahar as other members.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2024