HYDERABAD, April 10: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday appointed a court official to conduct raid on the Umerkot police station after two petitioners complained that the police had unlawfully impounded their vehicles and demanded bribe to release them.

The court appointed a raid commissioner and asked him to ascertain if the vehicles were held in unlawful custody then the SHO of the police station should produce them in court on April 11.

The petitioner Naseebullah Khan and Khanzeb Khan who filed the complaint through Parveen Chachar advocate. Naseebullah owned two excavators and dumpers and Khanzeb had one excavator.

They rented their machines out to contractors for livelihood and had to be on a move to different cities for business.

They said that Amanullah, a contractor, hired their vehicles for a project in Umerkot on Jan 2 so they stayed in Umerkot for a fortnight till their vehicles were there.

They said that on Jan 18 the SHO of the police station sent for them and asked who had allowed them to work in Umerkot. He warned if they continued to work there then they would have to pay him Rs25,000 per vehicle.

They told the police official that they could not arrange such a huge amount in so little time. Their reply annoyed the SHO and he threatened to implicate them in false criminal cases along with their vehicles, they said, adding that the SHO also snatched away keys of their vehicles.

They then approached the contractor, who assured them that he would get the vehicles released but did nothing. Forty days had passed since the vehicles had been impounded. During that period the SHO was transferred and replaced by another policeman, they said.

When they approached the new SHO and requested him to release the vehicles he, too, demanded Rs400,000 bribe for releasing the vehicles, they said.

They said that on April 8 they again went to the SHO and he, too, threatened them with implication in false cases.

They prayed the court to restrain the SHO from harassing them and appoint a court official to conduct raid on the police station.