LARKANA, May 30: Protest for the arrest of three police inspectors, accused of the custodial killing of a cattle trader, Mukhtiar Brohi, continued here on Thursday as the relatives of the deceased refused to forgive the accused, on the intervention of a reconcilatory mission consisting influential persons.

Brohi was allegedly tortured to death in the police custody at the Civil Lines police station on May 13, during the interrogation in a robbery case.

He was arrested by the Market police in a case lodged by an oil/ghee merchant, Abdul Ghaffor Shaikh, with whom, according to his brother, he had fought a few days ago on the complaint of some women of his family that they were teased by Shaikh at his shop.

The Market police later took him to the Civil Lines police for the interrogation where he was allegedly tortured to death.

Police inspectors, Fida Hussain Chandio, then SHO Dari; Ghulam Abbas Gadehi, then SHO, Civil Lines; and Sarfraz Paichuho, nominated in the murder FIR, registered with the Civil Lines police, are absconding since then.

After the orders of their arrest by IG, Sindh police, Syed Kamal Shah during his recent visit to Larkana, the inspectors turned to the traditional way of settling down dispute privately by sending a peace mission to the heirs of the deceased.

The reconciliatory mission, led by Syed Sibghatullah Rashidi and including former Sindh minister Dr Roshan Paichuho, went to the deceased’s residence the other day.

Begging pardon on behalf of the accused police officials, the delegation told Mukhtiar’s brother Anwer Brohi that the former were ready to pay any kind of fine for the murder, if it was imposed on them in a jirga.

Plainly refusing to forgive, Anwer called for the arrest of the three inspectors adding that only then they could consider settlement of the matter. He advised the delegation to come after the arrests of the killers.

Meanwhile on Thursday, the relatives and friends of the deceased observed a token hunger strike here at Jinnahbagh to press the authorities for the arrest of the accused. The activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz also joined the protest.

BODY FOUND: Mohammed Iqbal, a watchman at the office of an insurance company, was found dead in the office on the Station Road here on Thursday.