GUJRAT, Jan 29: Lalamusa Saddar police have failed to trace the foreign addresses of over 10 people, who are the nominated accused in the murder of former MNA Syed Manzoor Husain Shah and his three aides.

Sources said the police higher-ups had directed the Lalamusa police to find out the foreign addresses of the accused to seek the help of International Police (Interpol) to apprehend them.

Manzoor Shah and his three aides Ashraf Dar, Ghulam Ali and Iqbal were shot dead in an ambush by 12 men near Theekrian in Lalamusa on Jan 2. The police had registered a case against 18 nominated accused - Muzammil Husain, Yasir Husain, Shafqat Ali, Sagheer Husain, Fazal Abbas, Mazhar Husain, Waqar Abbas, Shafaat Husain, Samar Abbas, Qasim Ali, Nasir, Qaiser, Qamar Abbas, Tasawar Husain, Imran Nazir, Jibran, Nazir Ahmad and Safdar Husain.

Complainant Mohsin Ali Shah had alleged in the FIR that 12 of the accused shot dead his brother and three aides while the remaining six masterminded it.

Arif Gondal, the then SHO, had picked up a close relative of the accused for interrogation and kept him in the police station. However a court bailiff recovered the man after which an inquiry was initiated against the SHO in the court of a sessions judge in Gujrat.

Succumbing to the pressure of responsibility, the SHO took a two-month leave on the pretext of going abroad. He was replaced with Zulfiqar Waria, who took the charge 16 days ago.

The sources said the new SHO has reportedly informed the senior police officials that most of the nominated accused were foreign nationals and they had flown to their destinations after the commission of crime. The SHO, they said, had informed them that the remaining accused had gone into hiding.

It is pertinent to mention that Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had directed the police to apprehend the killers immediately. Upon this the department high-ups had asked the SHO to glean the foreign addresses of the expatriate accused.

According to the sources, the police high-ups had planned to hand over their addresses to Interpol with a request to arrest the wanted men and brought them back to the country. However, the task was given to the SHO about 10 days ago but no progress had been made so far.

They alleged that detective foot constables, who were supposed to glean intelligence, were not performing their duties well.

A spokesman of Lalamusa Saddar police told Dawn on telephone that they did not receive any written direction from the superiors to collect foreign addresses of the accused. He said the orders might be issued orally.

POLICE CLUELESS: The Gujrat city police have failed to find any clue to the dacoits, who plundered Rs2 million in cash from the National Saving Centre 19 days ago. Three armed men had stormed into the saving centre and took away cash after injuring gunman Abdul Ghafoor on resistance.