KARACHI, July 2: It is a matter of shame for all agencies responsible for law-enforcement that they could not find a girl missing for a week, observed a division bench of the High Court of Sindh, comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Mujeebullah Siddiqui, on Tuesday.

The court gave two days’ time and stern warning to DSP Malir Saadat Ali, the SHO Malir Cantt police station, and other police officials, including SI Faisal Mahmood, SI Haseebullah Qureshi and ASI Rana M Ashraf.

The court was hearing a criminal miscellaneous application filed by Ms Rasoolan who moved the court against the alleged illegal detention of her young daughter Ms Shagufta.

Assistant Advocate-General Sindh Habib Ahmed tried to convince the court that the girl was not in the custody of police.

“We give you two days to recover the girl, or otherwise all of you will be stripped off your badges and belts and sent to jail,” the bench said directing the counsel for the petitioner to bring in proforma under section 551 of CrPC for lodging an FIR against the police officials.

When the hearing resume today at the time fixed by the court, all the police officials were present along with the AAG.

The AAG told the court that police officers were denying the arrest of the girl. He submitted that a robbery was committed in the police limits of Malir Cantt (FIR 31/2001). Some of the accused, arrested in the case, informed that the robbery was committed on the basis of information provided by Shagufta, the alleged detainee.

The court inquired that whether the prosecution had filed the statement of the accused naming the alleged detainee. The AAG said was a suspect in the case. The court observed that it was an application under section 491 A of CrPC. We are mainly concerned with the liberty of the girl.

Referring to statement of Ms Nasim, sister of the missing girl, the court said it could not see any reason for such a false statement. The woman had specifically pointed out the police officers who took Ms Shagufta into custody, the court said.

The AAG told the court that the DSP Malir himself had checked the police station concerned and other police stations of the area.—APP