KARACHI, Feb 24: The Town Police Officer (TPO) of Gadap Town was placed under suspension on Tuesday following the recovery of the partially decomposed bodies of two minor girls.

Ahmed Khan Jamali, who had been transferred from Balochistan police to Sindh police, was first posted as the TPO of New Karachi after political pressure had been exerted from Islamabad, according to some sources.

He was later transferred and posted as the TPO of Gadap Town, where he was suspended on the orders of the governor, said the sources. The newly-appointed SHO of the Gadap police station, Aftab Rind, said his predecessor, Munir Phulpotto, Head Constable Rao Tahir and two others were arrested and cases were registered against them.

They were lodged in the New Karachi police station. The TPO of New Karachi was looking into the case. Last year on April 25 Mr Jamali was the TPO of New Karachi when nine policemen, five in civvies, had barged into the house of a Mohammad Bilal with their official weapons on them. They reportedly held the occupants of the house on gunpoint, broke open the main gate and made off with cash, jewellery and other valuables.

Mr Jamali had termed the incident a police raid in search of criminals. However, the SHO concerned besides other officials were suspended and cases were registered on the order of the Inspector-General of Police.

The previous SHO of Gadap Town, Mr Phulpotto, was also stated to have been posted there following political pressure. The deceased girls' families told this reporter that whenever they wanted to contact Mr Phulpotto, his guard picked up his telephone and said the SHO was with the chief minister.

In a late night development, the Town Police Officer of Lyari, Ali Mohsin, was transferred soon after he had arrested the SHO of the Gadap police station. He was made an OSD.

The order was issued from the offices of the IGP, Sindh. The DIG Karachi, Tariq Jamil, said he did not know of the order. However, our sources said Mr Mohsin had gone to the Gadap police station on the instructions of the DIG Operations when many people had gathered around it in protest against the killing of the two girls.

He was apparently transferred on the instructions of the Sindh chief minister, an official said.