HYDERABAD, July 26: Even after the arrest of Abdul Rehman Mari, the principal accused in the kidnapping case of nine family members of Manu Bheel, police officers remained clueless about recovery of the hostages.

Mirpurkhas DIG Salimullah Khan is supervising investigation of the case under directives of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

The pre-arrest bail of Abdul Rehman Mari has already been cancelled by the Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court.

“Mari is simply denying having any hand in kidnapping of Manu Bheel’s family members. He says that late Shakeel Pathan, an HRCP activist, had freed several haris released from his village through the Sanghar district administration in 1996”, said a police source, who interrogated Mari.

The police officer said that Mari told police that only the court could decide the matter by holding trial.

Abdul Rehman Mari claimed to be suffering from multiple diseases including hepatitis, cardiac and diabetes.

For that reason police were avoiding to pressurise him in their “own way”.

His medical check-ups take places twice in a day to ensure his medical fitness as per the court directive. “He was interrogated in presence of Manu Bheel, who told him to his face that he is directly involved in kidnapping of his family members”, said the source.

The police source said that if investigating officers did not show any more progress then the court may accept the interim challan as final challan.

The high court did not cancel pre-arrest bails of Hashim Khaskheli and Nathu Bheel — the co-accused — and their statements under sections 164 Cr.PC were also recorded by police under high court directives.

Nathu Bheel disclosed that if Adam Khaskheli and Sheral Khan, Sher Khan Mari and Ghulam Memon were interrogated by police they could provide valuable information.

Another co-accused of the case, Chaudhry Bashir died during investigation.

Hearing of Manu Bheel’s case is fixed before the Supreme Court on Friday (tomorrow) when Bheel would also appear before the court and the DIG Mirpurkhas would submit progress report of the matter.

Since July 22, Rehman Mari is in custody of the Sanghar police under court remand for seven days.

His supplementary challan of the arrest has been submitted before the civil judge and judicial magistrate who has accepted the interim challan.

Sanghar DPO Ajmal Magsi said that some witnesses were to be examined and expressed the hope that before submission of final challan there would be some progress.

He refused to disclose more details of the case.