HYDERABAD, April 3: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Saturday directed the Dadu DPO to appear before the court himself in case he failed to recover and produce a young married woman before the court on April 19.

The court also directed sub-inspector Ghulam Abbas to submit his explanation in response to a charge levelled against him by the woman's father that he had demanded Rs200,000 for her recovery.

The order was passed on a petition filed by Abdul Karim Rustamani, resident of Khamiso Goth, Karachi, who said his daughter, Aminat - married to Mor Ali, resident of Karachi, in 1998 - came to his house when the couple's relations got strained.

He alleged that on Jan 5, 2000, his son-in-law kidnapped his daughter in an attack on his house in which his wife, Gul, was killed while daughter-in-law, Pathani, sustained injuries.

A case was lodged with the police and Mor Ali was finally arrested but it could not be ascertained whether he had killed Aminat or she was still alive, he added.

He alleged that accused Dadan Ramazan and Nawab told him that the kidnapped woman was in Wahi Pandhi village and warned that if he pursued the case, she would be killed and other family members kidnapped.

He prayed the court to direct the Dadu DPO to raid the village and recover his daughter and also direct the Wahi Pandhi SHO and the Johi TPO to take stern action against the respondents and register a case against them.

CONTRABAND: The Latifabad police seized 40kg of charas in the jurisdiction of the Hussainabad police station on Saturday and arrested an accused while his accomplice escaped.