DADU: A young man arrested a day ago on charges of theft of a mobile phone set and a battery died in lock-up at Sehwan police station on Saturday. The victim’s family accused police of beating him to death while police officials claim the man died of natural causes.

Sehwan SHO Mazhar Naich said 21-year-old Khalil Ahmed Solangi was arrested on a complaint lodged by Ghaffar Detho, who ran a grocery shop in the locality and committed theft in his shop.

Solangi’s father Shaan Solangi said while leading a protest that police had arrested his son over a bogus complaint and then tortured him to death when they refused to give them bribe for his release.

He said the police tortured throughout the night until he died, he said.

Dr Moeen Siddiqi, director of the Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences, said the initial examination of the victim’s body showed he was a drug addict. No marks of torture were found on his body.

Members of Solangi community, led by the victim’s father, blocked the Indus Highway by staging a sit-in and placing the body on the highway. They lifted the blockade 10 hours later when Jamshoro SSP Tariq Nawaz assured them that the case would be properly investigated.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024