HYDERABAD, July 19: The second additional district judge here on Monday issued a notice to the SHO of the Hussainabad police station on an application, seeking registration of a case against four excise police officials.

The police officials had allegedly held two persons hostages and released them after receiving Rs338,000. Mohammad Haroon, a landlord, had filed the application, saying that on July 14 he and his friend, Ali Gohar Janwri, went to Kotri to seek payment outstanding against Mr Janwri's relative, Idrees. He said Mr Idrees gave Rs55,000 to Mr Janwri.

He said when they were returning, three motorcyclists and some other persons travelling in a car, who were in plain clothes and carrying weapons, intercepted their rickshaw near the Hussainabad protective bund.

He said the gunmen tried to kidnap Mr Janwri, who offered resistance. The applicant said the assistant excise taxation officer, Shafi Mohammad Siyal, who was among the accused, told him that they were from the excise intelligence wing.

He said and he his friend were then taken to the excise office in Latifabad-3 where they were deprived of Rs58,000. He said they were tortured and detained in a room. He said they came to know at the excise office that the rickshaw driver was their informer.

The next day, the applicant alleged, the accused brought 30 kilograms of charas to show that they would be implicated in a false narcotics case if they failed to pay Rs350,000 to the officials.

He said they were allowed to contact their families to ask them to arrange the money. He said they were released after three days after payment of the money. Mr Haroon said when they approached the Hussainabad police station for registration of an FIR against the excise officials, the SHO refused to register the case.

The applicant attached copy of the proposed FIR against Mr Siyal, excise inspectors Basharat Khushik, Shabbir Kalo and Aslam Samo, excise constables Khuda Bux Soomro, Javed Mirasi and Yaqob and three unidentified constables under sections 365-A, 392, 220, 389 and 34, PPC. The case was fixed for July 23.