THATTA, Feb 14: Police picked up curator, archaeological conservator and site attendant of Makli necropolis and briefly detained them on charges of involvement in theft of precious relics and carved stones from monuments and graves before letting them go on personal surety on Saturday.

Police took the action on a complaint lodged Rashid Jakhro, a reporter of a Sindhi daily.

Abdul Fatah Shaikh, the curator, Syed Waheed Hashmi, archaeological conservator and Khan Mohammad Khaskheli, site attendant at the monuments of Mirza Issa Khan Tarkhan and Mirza Jani Baig told Dawn when they were in the lockup they had been implicated in a concocted case registered under pressure of some journalists who were angered by their refusal to make a documentary in Makli on Feb 11, 2009.

Abdul Fatah Shaikh said that he had taken charge just eight days ago as curator and he was not empowered to allow filming a documentary without seeking permission from higher authorities.

Mehboob Brohi, a journalist of a Sindhi daily who had accompanied the complainant and a number of other journalists to the necropolis on Feb 11, rejected the officials’ claim, saying that in fact he had exposed their misdeeds by publishing photos of carved stone slabs inscribed with verses of Holy Quran partly broken and lying scattered and a number of precious relics missing from the site.

Acting DPO Fida Mastoi said when asked if police was authorised to lodge FIR against federal employees and if he suspected any ill will behind the FIR, that the crime if committed, had been committed in connivance with others (criminals, thieves), which made it a cognizable offence.

Under the Antiquities Act 1973, police can not register any FIR against the archaeology officials without permission of higher authorities of the archaeology department.

The police official said that it was premature to comment on the validity of the FIR but the possibility of ill will could not be ruled out.

The director general of the Directorate General of Archaeology and Museums said in a letter to federal secretary of culture that he had been informed by the director of southern circle of Archaeology that two people who introduced themselves as reporters brought a girl to Makli Hills before sunset for a photo session.

But when the watchman on duty stopped them from doing so they abused and threatened him with dire consequences. The same night they damaged carved stone of a grave in Makli necropolis and then published a concocted story and lodged a fake FIR against the officers and officials of Makli Hills Monuments, the letter said.

The letter then requested that the ministry take necessary action against the police officers as well as reporters. But the officials had been released by then.