HYDERABAD, Aug 10: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Tuesday granted protective bail to two officials of the Hyderabad Darul Aman for Rs100,000 each till Aug 13 in a criminal case.

Salma Leghari alias Amar Sindhu had lodged the case against Mrs Iqbal Shafi Vistro, assistant director of the Darul Aman, and Irshad Baloch, probation officer, with the Qasimabad police after seven women escaped from Darul Aman and accused the officials of forcing inmates into prostitution.

The complainant said according to statements of two of seven women, they were pregnant. The court directed forfeiture of surety of the accused if they failed to appear before the trial court.

The applicants' counsel argued that the report of medical examination of the women revealed that none of them was pregnant. He said his clients had not committed offences mentioned in the FIR.

HEPATITIS: Blood screening of police force of 13 police stations in Kotri is being conducted to determine the number of hepatitis patients. The blood screening of policemen started on Tuesday.

Kotri SP Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh confirmed that 984 policemen would be tested for hepatitis. Subsequently, vaccination of hepatitis victims would be carried out. A camp was established at the Kotri police station for conducting the blood screening.

Our Bureau reports: The managing director of a Kotri-based construction company has demanded the arrest of the accused named in an FIR, as they were threatening him with dire consequences.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Tuesday, the managing director of M/s M. Muqeem Sohail Builders, Mohammad Muqeem Memon, said that he had moved an application in the Dadu sessions court, on which, the court had directed the Kotri SHO to register a case.

He said that although a case was registered on Aug 8, police failed to arrest the accused named in the FIR and added that he was being threatened with dire consequences, yet the police were giving the accused time to seek bail before arrest.

The accused had ransacked his office in Kotri and had forcibly taken possession of it, he said. He appealed to the authorities to provide him protection against the accused as he and his family were in danger.

PRIZE SCHEME: A private prize scheme launched to celebrate the Independence Day on Aug 14 has been discontinued because of alleged harassment by the union council nazim concerned.

This was said by Mohammad Nasir, resident of Hyderabad, while speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Monday. He said that he had to close the scheme as he was allegedly being harassed by the UC nazim, who demanded Rs100,000.

He announced that those people who had deposited money with him, should visit his office to have their money refunded. Responding to a question, he said that there were other parties who had launched such schemes but, he alleged, action was taken against those who refused to grease the palm of the nazim.