DADU, Aug 7: Police subjected a woman lawyer to torture as she resisted their attempt to snatch away a woman and her daughter to an undisclosed location after the court ordered their release from police custody on Thursday.

A judicial magistrate had ordered release of five women and two children including Ms Jawai and her daughter Ms Shahidan from illegal detention after a raid on Moundar police station a day ago and asked the SHO to produce them in court. On Thursday police produced only Ms Jawai Chandio in the court of district and sessions judge who, after hearing her statement, issued notices to Dadu DPO, Mehar DSP, Dadu DSP, SHOs of Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar and Moundar police station asking them to appear in court along with record on Friday.

The other detainees included Inyat, wife of Ali Gohar Khounharo, Munwar Khatoon, daughter of Ali Gohar Khounharo, Begum, wife of Abdul Hameed Khounharo, Humera, wife of Abdul Hameed Khoso, two minor children Arbilo and Badal Khoso.

The raid was conducted on a complaint lodged by Ms Shahidan Chandio after she submitted an application to the court that police had arrested her mother Ms Jawai and they were subjecting her to torture at Moundar police station.

As soon as the judicial magistrate raided the police station SHO Akbar Soomro and the rest of staff escaped. The court official checked the record and found no entry in it about the arrested women.

He then ordered that the detained woman be freed and directed the SHO to appear in court with record.

Humera, wife of Abdul Hameed Khoso, informed the magistrate that police had been torturing her at different police stations in Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar and Moundar police station for past 10 days.

Ms Jawai complained to the judge that police picked her up from Punhal Khan Chandio village of Mehar a week ago along with other women and they had been torturing her at several police stations since then.

Later, a large number of lawyers held protest against police’s torture of woman lawyer Nahidan Khan Janwari and demanded action against delinquent police officers.

Meanwhile, DIG Police Sinaullah Abbasi demoted SHO of Moundar police station and asked him to report at Police Line Dadu.

Our Sanghar correspondent adds: Two illegal detainees were recovered after a raid on Mangli police station on Thursday.

The Civil judge and Judicial Magistrate Malik Mohammad Yousuf raided police station on the orders of District and Sessions Judge and found Mohammad Saleem and Aleem Qureshi illegally detained there.

The civil judge ordered the SHO to appear before District and Sessions Judge Court on Friday with relevant record.

The raid was conducted on an application of a relative of Saleem and Aleem about their illegal detention.

When contacted, ASI Mohammad Akhtar told journalists that he was not aware of any raid.