VEHARI, March 7: Seven men took hostage a coach carrying some one-and-a-half dozen female teachers and subjected them to torture and humiliation by snatching their veils and ‘chadars’, abused them and tried to set ablaze the vehicle in `reprisal’ for a slight damage done to their motorcycle on Wednesday in the limits of Mailsi police station.

On the report of schoolteacher Shahid Khan, the police registered a case against the accused and arrested three of them.

The complainant and other teachers, including Nuzhat Perveen, Razia Bibi, Iram Sagheer, Tasneem Perveen, Naheed Akhtar, Bilqees Bano, Nasim Akhtar, Hina Sagheer, Gulshan Ara, Rohe Saba, Shahreen Bibi, Najma Perveen, told reporters that 19 female and four male teachers, recruited at different schools between Mailsi Dunyapur Road and Sardarpur Jhandeer, had arranged a special coach for the pick-and-drop facility.

The coach provides transportation facility to six schools — Government Girls Middle School, Shah Sattar; Government Girls Middle School, Sardarpur Jhandeer; Government Girls Elementary School, Budhu; Government Boys Elementary School, Budhu; Government Girls Primary School, Shareefpur; and Government Girls Primary School, Noorul Haq Jhandeer.

The coach is parked near gate No 1 of the TMA office from where teachers board the vehicle. On Wednesday morning, when the driver started the van, it hit a motorcycle parked there. Bike owner Muhammad Asif, his father Ahmad Yar Acharwala, their employees Abdul Aziz, Mani and three unidentified accomplices came there and made hostage the teachers. Before throwing the women teachers out of the vehicle, they slapped on their faces and abused them into the bargain. The accused also subjected the driver and only male teacher Shahid Khan to physical torture and tried to set on fire the vehicle. They also snatched Rs15,000 and mobile phones from them. The area people rescued the teachers from the attackers.

On receiving information, the police rushed to the spot and arrested Ahmad Yar Acharwala, his son Asif and Abdul Aziz while the other accused beat a retreat.