MIRPURKHAS, Jan 26: Police lodged a case on Monday against Ms Zahida Detho, coordinator of NGOs Network, rights activist Kanji Rano Bheel and a reporter of a Sindhi daily among others on a complaint lodged by Thakur Nazeer Kaimkhani, a landlord who was accused by the above-mentioned persons of running a private jail.

Police filed the case on the orders of the district and sessions court of Sanghar.

The complainant said in the FIR that on Oct 22, 2008, one Mohan Bheel lodged an FIR at Nauabad police station against him, his son Naeem Ahmed Kaimkhani and others, accusing them of running a private jail.

Mohan had alleged in the FIR that Mr Kaimkhani was not clearing their accounts and had kept 144 people in wrongful confinement.

The allegations were investigated by ASI Bahram Khan Shar and in the course of investigation, 78 people including men, women and children voluntarily appeared before him, of them 38 including men and women were produced before the civil judge and judicial magistrate-II Tando Adam. They all denied allegations levelled in the FIR, he said.

Prior to the FIR, one Nandlal Bheel filed an application in this court and the court directed the SHO of Nauabad to produce the alleged detainees. The SHO produced 62 people in the court and they all informed the judge that they were not held in wrongful confinement. The court then asked them to go where they wanted and the application was disposed of and so the FIR.

In the course of investigation, complainant Mohan Bheel had got it transferred to SP investigation Mirpurkhas Noorul Haq Rind, who conducted the investigation and recommended that the case be disposed of.

Mr Kaimkhani said that summary of the case was in progress when chief justice of Supreme Court took suo motu notice and sought a comprehensive report from the investigation officer.

During the investigation, Kanji Rano Bheel advocate, Ms Zahida Detho, Teerath Bheel, Wajid Leghari, a journalist and Mohan came to him and his son Naeem Kaimkhani and demanded Rs300,000 as illegal gratification, he accused.

They said that if he paid the amount, they would ask the complainant to withdraw the case, otherwise, they threatened to launch a drive and publish articles in newspapers to defame him and his son, he alleged, adding that he refused to accept their demand and they published false news and articles against them.

The apex court also dismissed the suo motu notice and ordered disposal of the case after perusing the case file and IO’s report, he said.

He approached the SHO after the apex court’s order and asked him to lodge FIR against the accused but he refused. He then approached the DPO of Sanghar but he, too, refused to lodge the case. Finally, he filed an application in the district and sessions court of Sanghar for justice, Mr Kaimkhani said.