HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court has directed Sindh’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) to appear in person before the court on Feb 6 in a case of police failure to recover stolen dowry articles and cash belonging to four sisters, two of them deaf.

A single-judge bench of Justice Amjad Ali Sahito passed the order while hearing an application filed by father of the girls, Abdul Wahid Memon, against acquittal of the accused in the dowry theft case by a lower court. “IGP shall appear along with an explanation and progress report,” said the order.

The court, which heard the case on Jan 27 but issued its order on Wednesday, had directed Hyderabad SSP on previous hearing to recover gold ornaments of the complainant’s daughters.

The court asked Qasimabad DSP Bashir Ahmed Kouharo about progress on the case but he was unable to come up with a proper reply.

A report submitted to the court listed recovered stolen articles and cash and said that whereabouts of the accused Javed remained unknown and Sultan alias Nano had denied having handed over any stolen item to Javed.

The court noted: “In this case, the accused had stolen Rs2,600,000, US$3,030, 10,000 Riyals, prize bonds worth Rs15,000 in various denominations and gold ornaments weighing approximately 219 tolas on Aug 3, 2023, but after trial, the accused were acquitted by lower court.”

The court said that police recovered Rs240,000 cash and some gold ornaments from accused Muhib Ali, and Rs350,000 and some gold ornaments from another accused Shahmir but the complainant filed application requesting return of all stolen valuables including cash and gold about which the accused had confessed. Police had in all recovered Rs650,000 cash which was received by the complainant.

The court had issued notice to the SSP with directives to recover the stolen articles but police did not make serious efforts to recover the stolen dowry.

The bench said the investigating officer managed to recover Rs240,000 in cash and some gold ornaments but Hyderabad district police failed to make any recovery.

“Conversation of the accused Sultan alias Nano, recorded in the complainant’s mobile, was played in the court in which he was heard advising the co-accused not to confess to the crime. Police officers present in the court were unable to provide satisfactory answers except excuses for their inaction,” said the order.

This court had been left with no other option but to call IGP Sindh to appear in person on next date of hearing, said the order.

The order said that despite having access to modern investigative tools and resources, police had failed to recover the stolen items. “For families like the complainant’s, emotional and financial toll is immense, as they are left feeling unprotected and unsupported,” observed the judge.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2025