LAYYAH, Jan 19: A bailiff raided the Sadar police station on Saturday and got three men released from illegal police custody. Chobara police again arrested the released men outside the sessions court.

Abdul Majeed filed an application to the sessions court for release of the three men and Additional Sessions Judge Malik Shabbir Awan appointed a bailiff to raid the Sadar police station, free the detained men and produce them in the court.

Majeed said in his application that his son, Munir Ahmed, was murdered allegedly by Suleman Amir, Saleem and Taimoor on Dec 23. The Chobara police registered a case against the accused on the application of Fariyad Ali.

Majeed said when the accused used their political influence, Chobara police arrested applicant Ali and witnesses Muhammad Iqbal and Asghar Ali on the order of the Layyah district police officer and detained them at the Sadar police station illegally.

After production in the court, the judge immediately released the three men who were detained illegally and directed the district police officer to take action against the policemen who detained these men.

Ali told Dawn on the court premises that the police tortured him and the two other detainees and asked them to make a compromise with the murderers.

Chobara DSP Shahid Mahmood and Sub-Inspector Muhammad Nawaz, who is investigating the murder case, took the three men into custody again as soon as they came out of the court.

Chobara SHO Deen Muhammad said the investigation officer suspected that the detained men murdered their cousin, Munir Ahmed, and implicated Suleman, Saleem and Taimoor in the murder case. However, Deen Muhammad had no answer when he was asked why these men were detained at Sadar police station instead of Chobara police station.