Police report on family’s detention over possession of drugs fails to satisfy SHC

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction at the Thatta SSP report with regard to the registration of anti-narcotics cases against women and children, and directed him to produce three missing persons, including two women, before court.

The direction came on petition of Samina against illegal arrest and unlawful detention of her family members by the Thatta police. The petitioner submitted that 19 members of the family, including women and children, were illegally detained by the Thatta police and they were demanding a bribe for their release.

The Thatta police had earlier filed a report before court denying the allegations and submitted that the police had arrested Ghulam Fareed, Tanvir, Momal and Samreen along with their seven children and recovered charas from their possession. Police submitted that the detained persons had been remanded to judicial custody by a judicial magistrate.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha had on a previous hearing directed Thatta SSP Adeel Hussain Chandio to appear before court to explain the content of the police report.

The Thatta SSP appeared before court and explained that cases had been registered against the detained persons as they were habitual criminals. The high court observed that prima facie, the explanation submitted by the SSP was unsatisfactory keeping in view that a small amount of charas was recovered from each of the detained persons, including women and young children.

The bench observed that the petitioner had levelled allegations against the police, stating that her family members had illegally been detained and the police had warned to implicate them in false cases if they refused to pay a bribe.

The Thatta SSP submitted that he would carry out a thorough and honest investigation into the matter in respect of each and every officer concerned and shall submit a report prior to the next hearing.

He also undertook that he would re-investigate all the narcotics cases that had been lodged against the petitioners and come to his own conclusion as to whether or not those cases merited a trial.

The high court ordered the officer to file a detailed report in respect of each and every police officer with regard to allegations of the petitioner. The SHC also directed him to produce the remaining three detained persons, Sanwal, Nadia and Saleema, before court on the next hearing.