HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad district and sessions court has sought DIG’s report and comments of other officers on a woman’s application for the registration of an FIR against SSPs and CIA in-charges of Hyderabad and Khairpur Mir districts, as well as the Phulelli SHO, alleging that her brother had been killed in a “staged” encounter.

Additional District Judge-VII Naveed Ahmed Soomro on Thursday issued notices to the respondents directing them to appear in court on April 11.

Ms Reshma is the sister of a young man, Farhan Ali Siyal, who was killed by the Phulelli police in what they claimed to be an encounter on March 28.

Her application was transferred by a sessions judge to the ADJ-VII.

She tells court Rs10m had already been paid as ransom

Represented by Advocate Raja Jawad, the applicant has cited Hyderabad SSP Amjad Shaikh and Khairpur SSP Mirs Rohil Khoso; SHO Ayaz Bughio of the Phulelli police station, CIA in-charges Muneer Abbasi (Hyderabad) and Hanif Khoso (Khairpur Mirs), along with nine other policemen as respondents.

She stated that Farhan Siyal had got a mass communication degree from Sindh University. Being interested in investigative journalism, he started collecting data of drug mafia and manufacturers and sellers of mainpuri and gutka, and alleged involvement of police in such activities, she added.

He had been working in Phulelli, Paretabad, where police purportedly received Rs30 million for allowing illegal sale of mainpuri and gutka, she said.

Ms Reshma stated in her application that at about 2am in the night between March 11 and 12, Farhan received a call and the caller asked him to come to Nasim Nagar Chowk as he wanted to share some information regarding ‘police dealing’.

Farhan, along with his brother Sajjan Siyal, went there, asked Sajjan to wait at some distance from where the meeting was to be held.

She stated that Sajjan saw two double cabin vehicles arriving there and seven to eight persons riding it but could not recognise them. Later, one of them was identified as Hanif Khoso, the CIA in-charge of Khairpur Mirs district. They took away Farhan while Sajjan helplessly looked on, she stated.

On March 13, she further stated, Sajjan received a call from an unidentified person who demanded Rs10m on behalf of police officials and issued threat of dire consequences if the demand was not met. On March 15, Sajjan received another call and an image of the FIR bearing No. 47/23 registered against an unknown suspect, and the caller threatened that if Rs10m demand was not met, then Farhan would be named in such blind FIRs.

The complainant said that fearing for the life of Farhan, her family started arranging Rs10m. Finally, the money was transferred online through Deedar Ahmed Siyal after Sajjan received a call to seek transfer of money in account No. 007901455203 of HBL’s Ghalla Mandi road branch, Ghotki, in the name of “A Karim Enterprise”. After the money transfer, they demanded another Rs2m for the delay and expenses for keeping Farhan, she said.

She said Sajjan talked to policemen, asking them to let the family meet Farhan. On March 28, one person called her and Sajjan, asking them to come near the Hatri police station. Ms Reshma stated that she and her family members were taken to the spot blindfolded in a mobile van and the applicant saw Hanif Khoso, Ramzan Meer Ali, Ayaz Bughio, Muneer Abbasi (who all were armed) and other armed policemen there. She said she also saw Farhan Ali sitting there blindfolded.

She said the family members witnessed marks of injuries, in the light of a torch, on his face, forehead and nose. When Muneer demanded Rs2m, he was told that the money would be paid, but they should release Farhan first.

She quoted CIA in-charge Hanif Khoso as saying that since they (the family) had deceived police, they would have to pay for it and then “he [Hanif] fired on Farhan, causing two bullet injuries to Farhan’s chest,” she claimed. She alleged that Ayaz Bughio also fired on Farhan’s belly and Muneer Abbasi on the left side of his chest. The police threatened them (the family) to remain silent because the SSPs of Khairpur and Hyderabad were in contact with them (the accused) and if they disclosed the incident to anyone, they would also be murdered.

She alleged that Hanif Khoso and others in connivance with the Hyderabad SSP and SHO Ayaz Bughio claimed Farhan’s killing in an encounter and registered a false FIR (No. 38/23) at the Phulelli police station. She claimed that the medico legal officer concerned issued a fake certificate and did not show injuries of Farhan to “favour” the respondents.

She prayed the court to order formation of a JIT (joint investigation team) and ensure a fair investigation into the whole episode.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2023