HYDERABAD, March 24 Police investigation teams working on the one-point task to re-arrest Ghulam Abbas Siyal, prime accused in Rs15.2 million MCB robbery case, have failed to make any headway in their hunt for the fugitive.

Siyal and another hardened criminal Bashir Rind escaped civil court last week with the help of their accomplice who threw powdered chillies at the policemen and fled firing in the air.

A case was lodged against the three policemen who were walking the accused on foot to the civil courts from sessions court on March 18 but the court granted them bail.

Hyderabad DPO Javed Alam Odho and SP investigations Ghulam Nabi Keerio have formed several teams, comprising senior investigating officer (SIO) of the jurisdiction, SHO of the area and the officers who had first arrested Siyal after Aug 5 robbery in the Gari Khata branch of the Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB).

Siyal was arrested in Tando Mohammad Khan when he was going to Sujawal to his fish farm. “We are clueless about Siyal and Rind but we are working on it,” said an investigating official.

Recently, a report led to high alert among investigating wing officials which suggested that Rind and Siyal were seen travelling in a rickshaw headed towards Gharibabad from Qasim chowk. “We ran surveillance on the area but we got nothing as perhaps the information was not correct,” said another official.

A police source said that SP investigation had recommended Siyal's name for Exit Control List (ECL) so that he might not leave the country.

He claimed that telephone numbers of the people who had called on Rind and Siyal in jail and in courts were being obtained from the prison administration.

Before his escape, Siyal had appeared before sessions court in a complaint filed by him against two policemen, Inspector Farooq Ahmed and Constable Mohammad Ali. The court disposed of the complaint when he did not press it after the respondent policemen's undertaking.

Siyal was found in possession of around Rs3 million cash looted from the bank. Police had recovered the looted money in Dadu kept with a man.

There were some other accused in the robbery case, who were still at large, said the source.