VEHARI, Nov 2: Police are protecting two main accused, including a constable, involved in the kidnap and murder of his eight-year-old son. This was alleged by Abdul Latif of Karampur town, Mailsi while talking to this correspondent on Thursday.

Mr Latif said his neighbour Muhammad Iqbal had developed a dispute with him over his residential quarter, wanted to get it vacated from his family allegedly with the help of local police and was threatening him with dire consequences.

On Aug 12, he said, Iqbal and his son Asif Bobi with the help of Karampur constable Ashraf Baloch had kidnapped Sunny when he was returning from the school. He said the Karampur police had registered a case on the orders of a local court and arrested Asif Bobi.

The victim’s father, a motorcycle mechanic, alleged that the police was behaving with Mr Bobi like a guest in the lockup and sent him to jail without investigation.

Abdul Latif claimed that he had confessed to his crime at a punchayat and promised to release his son. On Sep 13, Chichawatni police found Sunny’s body from a gas pipeline on a tip-off, he said. Later, the police buried his son at a local graveyard after autopsy, Latif said.

A few days back he and his family identified Sunny after seeing his photos, he said and added that with the help of area police, they exhumed the body and brought it to Karampur town on Wednesday. On seeing the body, the area people staged a demonstration against the Karampur police.

He said the protesters dispersed after DPO Malik Tassadaq Hayat assured them of strict action against the accused.

Mr Latif said the autopsy report showed that Sunny was strangled or hanged.

He said the DPO appointed DSP Malik Rafiq Khokhar an inquiry officer who got a case registered against constable Ashraf Baloch and Bobi’s father Iqbal.

He said the DPO also suspended Karampur SHO Nadeem Afzal and Ashraf from service.

He said Iqbal and Ashraf were still at large and the police were not arresting the latter despite the fact that they had been informed of constable’s hideout.

The victim’s father has sought justice from the chief justice of Pakistan.

When contacted, newly appointed SHO Saeed Lodhi said the police had taken into custody three more people on Wednesday night for investigation. They have been identified as M Sarwar, nephew of Ashraf Baloch, and Bobi’s brothers Kashif and Jawed.

According to ASI Muhammad Iqbal, police were trying to trace Ashraf.