His son approached the court two years ago about his mysterious disappearance. PHOTO: FILE
This is the story of a 65-year-old resident of Karachi, who disappeared from a major public hospital of the city and fell into the clutches of a begging mafia in Hyderabad.
The begging mafia has gotten so powerful in its systematic operations that it has now become capable of preying on lone citizens landing in hospitals. In a mysterious case of disappearance, an elderly resident of Karachi has apparently landed in the shackles of a begging mafia based in Hyderabad.
“My father, Faraz Khan, had left home on May 19, 2014,” said his son, Naseebullah Khan, in a petition filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) two years ago. “He did not return home and the Sohrab Goth police was approached to report his disappearance.”
Faraz has two daughters, four sons and a wife living in Quetta. “My father was living in Karachi for the last 45 years and worked as a junk collecter,” his son told The Express Tribune over the telephone. The petitioner, who is second oldest son among his siblings, said he works as daily wager to support the family because his elder brother is mentally challenged.
After the police failed to locate the missing man despite the lapse of a month, he filed a disappearance case with the SHC in June 2014. Meanwhile, Naseebullah claimed he came to know that his father had met a road accident and was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment by a Chippa ambulance service driver, Shahid Nawaz. Naseebullah said his father had his left leg fractured in the accident but, when he reached the health facility, the patient was nowhere to be seen. The hospital management did not cooperate regarding the whereabouts of the patient, stated the petitioner’s lawyer. Naseebullah had pleaded the court order the Rangers director-general and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital’s medical superintendent to locate and produce his missing father.
Four months later, a revelation by the police shocked Naseebullah and his family. The additional SHO of Sohrab Goth police station, Ali Hyder, informed the court that, according to his sources, the petitioner’s father was being used and exploited by a beggars’ gang in Hyderabad for monetary benefits.
Ever since, the judges at the SHC have been ordering the police authorities to locate the missing man and retrieve him from the alleged begging mafia. At the last hearing, they had ordered the Hyderabad DIG to make efforts for the recovery of the missing man and submit a report in court.
The two judges were annoyed when the senior police officer failed to appear early this week. Therefore, the court ordered the Hyderabad DIG to be present in person at the next hearing along with written explanation about why he had failed to comply with court orders despite being told to file a fresh report.
The judges warned that if the DIG does not appear before the court, ‘adverse inference could be drawn against him’. The next hearing has been fixed for tomorrow (February 29).
Naseebullah said he had visited Karachi around six months back to attend the court hearing but cannot afford to travel anymore. He hopes his father will make his way back home one day.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2016.
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