Inhuman treatment: Landlord arrested for detaining workers
Workers said they had been starved for four days.
Bullah had set up a detention cell near Pul Moga in Muhammadwali, Jatoi, where “defiant” workers were detained and sometimes tortured, says Police.
MULTAN:
A landlord accused of detaining 10 workers at a private prison in Muzaffargarh for four days and starving them, was arrested on Wednesday. The workers were recovered by the police in a raid on Monday.
The rescued labourers were taken to the Jatoi tehsil headquarters hospital, from where they were discharged in 24 hours.
Police said Sakhi Bullah had set up a detention cell near Pul Moga in Muhammadwali, Jatoi, where “defiant” workers were detained and sometimes tortured.
Police said they had been trying to locate the cell for some time and was finally discovered by a team in a raid led by Sub Inspector Allah Ditta of the Shehr Sultan police station.
They said 10 men, hired by the landlord on daily wage to pack mangoes from his orchards, were recovered in the raid.
The raiding party said the men had been blindfolded. All of them had been working for the landlord for less than a month. They told police that they had been confined for asking the landlord to pay them dues which were pending for almost a month.
They said they had been confined four days before they were recovered.
Manzoor Ahmed, one of the labourers who was discharged from the hospital on Monday, said no one had visited them in the four days they were there. He said they had not had food or water.
Muhammad Bakhsh, another labourer, said the landlord treated his dogs better, who he said, were fed thrice a day, bathed and kept in rooms with air coolers.
Three of the landlord’s men had shot at the police party when the place was raided. They were, however, arrested and their guns seized. They were identified as Sanwal, Abdul Maalik and Ahmed Bakhsh.
An FIR has been registered against the landlord and the three servants on charges of torture and illegal confinement.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2013.
A landlord accused of detaining 10 workers at a private prison in Muzaffargarh for four days and starving them, was arrested on Wednesday. The workers were recovered by the police in a raid on Monday.
The rescued labourers were taken to the Jatoi tehsil headquarters hospital, from where they were discharged in 24 hours.
Police said Sakhi Bullah had set up a detention cell near Pul Moga in Muhammadwali, Jatoi, where “defiant” workers were detained and sometimes tortured.
Police said they had been trying to locate the cell for some time and was finally discovered by a team in a raid led by Sub Inspector Allah Ditta of the Shehr Sultan police station.
They said 10 men, hired by the landlord on daily wage to pack mangoes from his orchards, were recovered in the raid.
The raiding party said the men had been blindfolded. All of them had been working for the landlord for less than a month. They told police that they had been confined for asking the landlord to pay them dues which were pending for almost a month.
They said they had been confined four days before they were recovered.
Manzoor Ahmed, one of the labourers who was discharged from the hospital on Monday, said no one had visited them in the four days they were there. He said they had not had food or water.
Muhammad Bakhsh, another labourer, said the landlord treated his dogs better, who he said, were fed thrice a day, bathed and kept in rooms with air coolers.
Three of the landlord’s men had shot at the police party when the place was raided. They were, however, arrested and their guns seized. They were identified as Sanwal, Abdul Maalik and Ahmed Bakhsh.
An FIR has been registered against the landlord and the three servants on charges of torture and illegal confinement.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2013.