SUKKUR, Sept 30: The Sindh High Court, Sukkur circuit bench, on Tuesday granted protective bail for 15 days to five people, including two minor children, who were arrested and challaned in a theft case by Chak police.

One year ago, Huzoor Bux Hakro had lodged a case with the Chak police against six-year-old Ali Dino, seven-year-old Khan Mohammad, Dildar, Gul Hassan and Haji on the charges of buffalo theft, but police didn’t arrest them.

Following registration of FIR, investigation police started investigation into the matter and concluded that, the case was baseless and recommended legal action against the complainant.

But, according to sources the complainant, in collusion with the police, again managed to produce the challan of five accused in the court of judicial magistrate and VIIth civil judge, Shikarpur. He referred the case to district and session court and finally in August 2008, the first additional session judge, Shikarpur, issued arrest warrants of all the five accused.Sources said that following issue of arrest warrants, the area police started pressuring the relatives of the accused to hand them over to the police.

The accused, through advocate Manzoor Junejo, on Tuesday filed bail application in the single bench of Sindh High

Court, Sukkur, headed by Justice Abdul Rasheed Kalwar. He granted protective bail for 15 days to all the five accused an a surety of Rs130,000.

VISIT: The District Police Officer, Sukkur, Sharjeel Kharal, on Tuesday visited Darul Amman Sukkur and distributed eid gifts among the inmates.