Before it's too late: Families of suspects in detention fear extrajudicial killing

Parents approach SHC to seek protection for their sons

HYDERABAD: Parents of three young men, allegedly kept in illegal detention by Hyderabad police, have expressed fears of extrajudicial killings in a 'staged' police encounter.

They have approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) Hyderabad circuit bench to seek protection against such incidents.

The suspects, Shahzeb alias Rafay, 20-year-old Hamza and Ashaar Shahani, were allegedly picked up in connection with the July 22 bank robbery in Hyderabad. The police claimed six suspects were involved in the robbery of whom five broke into the bank, held the staff and customers hostage and looted Rs1.3 million in cash.

Three of the suspects, Fahad Memon, Asadullah Pathan and Manzoor Arain aka Punjabi, were killed in a police encounter a few hours after the robbery. Shahzeb, Fahad, Asad and Manzoor were students in a religious seminary.

The parents of the slain persons claimed all the three men were killed in a fake shootout. However, Hyderabad SSP Irfan Baloch claimed the gang is linked with a banned terrorist outfit, which is based in Karachi. According to him, the suspects' involvement has been traced in at least nine recent robberies, two of which targeted the Bohri community and traders of the Hindu community.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the parents of Hamza and Shahzeb filed petitions in the SHC. "The police picked up my son on July 22 but they are not declaring the arrest," maintained Saleemuddin Shaikh, Hamza's father and a resident of Heerabad town, in his petition, expressing fears of Hamza's extrajudicial murder.

He said the police have nominated Hamza in the robbery and subsequent police encounter FIRs but they are not producing him in court for his formal arrest. Shahnaz Bibi, Shahzeb's mother, also made a similar plea in the SHC, praying for her son's safe recovery. The SHC issued notices to the respondents including the Sindh IG, Hyderabad DIG, Hyderabad SSP and SHOs of Market and Hatri police stations to submit replies on August 4.

Meanwhile, the father of slain Fahad Memon, Rafiqur Rehman Memon, addressed a press conference on Wednesday in which he claimed the police killed Fahad in a 'staged' shootout. He said that he has also filed a petition in the SHC against the encounter but the court has yet to take up the case. The third missing suspect, Ashaar, is a son of food inspector Noor Ahmed Shahani.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2016.