KARACHI: ATC issues non-bailable warrants against five: Kidnapping case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 4: An anti-terrorism court issued on Thursday non-bailable warrants for the arrest of five accused in a kidnapping for ransom case.
The case pertained to the kidnapping of a 20-year-old man, who remained captive for 52 days and was released after payment of Rs7 million as ransom.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 ordered the arrest of five absconding accused — Ms Natasha alias Sonia, Zeeshan alias Burger, Abu Sufiyan, Haji Mashooq Brohi, and Rafique Jatt, son of Dawood Jatt.
Asif Hussain Junejo, son of SSP Mumtaz Junejo, Alauddin Junejo, son of Roshan Junejo, town nazim of Sanghar, and Rustum Haider were arrested on November 1 in the case.
Syed Raza Abbas Zaidi was allegedly kidnapped on Aug 30 near the Country Club Apartments in Sea-View where he had gone to meet Natasha on her request.
The woman had allegedly called the victim on phone. The next day victim’s maternal uncle, Mansoor Javed, lodged an FIR against unknown kidnappers with the Darakhshan police.
According to prosecution, Rustum, along with absconding accused Zeeshan, Abu Sufiyan and Rafique Jatt, kidnapped Syed Raza Abbas as he waited for the woman. The kidnappers also took away victim’s car and later abandoned it in Buffer Zone.
The kidnapper initially demanded 20 million as ransom for the release of Raza. However, they agreed to release the victim for a ransom of Rs7 million after a series of negotiations with the family.
Rustum, who was on a Honda 125CC bike, allegedly received the ransom money from Mohammed Irfan, a cousin of the victim, at a derelict place, along the Hub River Road on Oct 20 and released the victim accordingly.
According to prosecution, accused Asif Junejo and Mumtaz Junejo were also present in a Suzuki Mehran at a close distance when Rustum received the money. Rustum allegedly handed the money bag to the two occupants of the car.
It was alleged that the accused was kept at a house owned by an absconding accused Haji Mashooq Brohi, who reportedly got the loin’s share in the ransom money.
On Nov 7, the victim and his complainant uncle identified the three arrested accused during an identification parade before a judicial magistrate.
The complainant identified all three accused in a set of dummies. The victim, however, identified only Rustum Haider as one of those who had forcibly taken him away, along with his car.
LIFE TERM: The additional district and sessions judge, West, Sikandar Ali Lashari, sentenced on Thursday a man to life imprisonment for slaughtering his wife.
Accused Mohammed Ashraf was found guilty of having killed his wife, Basheeran Bibi, on August 3, 1998 for as wanted to marry his sister-in-law.
According to prosecution, the accused ripped apart the throat of his wife and also inflicted a stab wound near his neck. Then he reached the Saeedabad police station to lodge an FIR against two unknown thieves, who purportedly killed his wife and injured him.
However, the police seized a letter of his wife, written to her parents, during the spot inspection. The letter stated that her husband was having an affair with her younger sister, Razia Bibi, and he wanted to marry her.
The accused was medically examined and the medico-legal report suggested that the injury on the neck of the man was self- inflicted.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on the convict, who would have to undergo an additional six-month term in case of default on the payment.
