990401

2,700 hides

recovered from

traders' godowns

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: Police on Wednesday besieged the Leather Market (Chamra Mandi) Paretabad, raided some godowns and confiscated about 2,700 hides from there.

Earlier, on Tuesday night police has booked two hide and skin merchants, including the President of Anjuman-e-Tajiran-e-Chamra, Haji Abdul Rasheed.

The siege continued for several hours and the police withdrew from the area after the intervention of PML (N) Leader Mir Haider Ali Khan Talpur.

A large number of people have come out on the roads in protest against the siege but dispersed after the timely intervention of Talpur.

According to reports, police have booked two big hide and skin merchants of Hyderabad namely Haji Abdul Rasheed and Abdul Hameed Shaikh. On Wednesday morning the police raided the godowns owned by the arrested persons and confiscated about 100 skins of cows from the godown of Haji Rasheed and about 1,600 goat hides from the godown of Abdul Hameed Shaikh.

Both the persons are still in lock-up and when chamra association people approached police for their release, they were asked to arrange for bail as FIR has been lodged against both of them.

The confiscated hides are lying at Panyari Police Station and were rottening there.

Sources say both the traders have purchased hides from Muttaheda Qaumi Movement and Jamat-e-Islami.

"We will purchase hides and skins from everyone, who is willing to sell it. This is our business", a trader said. "Why police is arresting our traders", he asked.

A large number of representatives of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, various trade groups and political parties have also reached on the spot.

The negotiations for the release of the two arrested traders and for the confiscated hides and skins are underway between the traders and the authorities.

Meanwhile, the hide and skin merchant of Hyderabad have gone on strike.