29 September 2004	Wednesday	13 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Sept 28: An anti-terrorism court adjourned on Tuesday the hearing of a murder case against a worker of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi after recording the deposition of four prosecution witnesses.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed Wednesday for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined medico-legal officer Dr Farida, head constable Mazhar Shah, sub-inspector Javed Ali and Dr Shafi of the police hospital as witnesses.

Kamran alias Asif alias Uncle alias Mehmood, who carried Rs3 million reward on his arrest, was charged with killing a passerby woman and attempting to kill policemen during a shootout with police party on May 19 in Sector 15-A of the Buffer Zone under Sections 302, 353 and 324 of the PPC. He was also charged with the possession of arms and ammunition and explosive material.

According to prosecution, Inspector Usman Asghar, along with a police party, raided house No R-1272, Al-Mubashir Building after receiving information about the presence of LJ activists.

Accused Kamran, along with an absconding accomplice, Junaid, allegedly opened fire on the police party to avoid their arrest. The two accused ran away in different directions and Kamran, who took position behind a pile of cement blocks, was surrounded by the raiding party.

The accused fired upon the chasing party and killed Sarwar Bibi, a domestic servant, in the shootout. However, he was also hit by two bullets in his lower torso and was arrested with an unlicensed AK-4 assault rifle (Kalashnikov) and eight hand-grenades. His accomplice, however, managed to escape.

Later, the accused led the police to the recovery of five RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), five initiators, eight hand-grenades, 200 live rounds of Kalashnikov, four phone bombs, a video cassette bomb, 25 electronic circuits meant for explosive devices and a box containing anti-US material and bomb making techniques from his hideout.

MURDER CASE: Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 recorded the statement of a judicial magistrate in a kidnapping-cum-murder case. The judge put off the hearing till Oct 1 after the deposition by JM Mehboob Ahmed Dayo, who had supervised the exhumation and post-mortem of the victim's body.

Two accused, Khurrum Mushtaq and Ather Mehmood, are being prosecuted for kidnapping Raghib Hussain around 11:30am on April 1 in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. The victim was found unconscious near Singapore Towers in Sharea Faisal police and died at the hospital bed after a couple of weeks.

According to the prosecution, the victim was first taken to JPMC and then was shifted to the Liaquat Hospital. On April 2, he told his mother that he was kidnapped by his friend, Sheeraz, who posed him as a girl on the internet.

It was alleged that on March 31 the impostor asked him into going on a date. Absconding accused Sheeraz and Shabana allegedly kidnapped him at gunpoint and took him to a bungalow in Gulistan- i-Jauhar where accused Khurrum, Asif, and Ather were already present.

Accused Asif allegedly injected a syringe in his chest as the other accused caught hold of him. After a little while Asif allegedly injected another syringe in his chest and he fell unconscious.

The kidnappers allegedly phoned the victim's mother and demanded Rs1 million for the release of her son. Later, the kidnappers again phoned the woman and told that her son was lying near Singapore Tower.

The victim died at the hospital on April 16 and his mother informed the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police about the incident. Later on July 26, sub-inspector Adnan arrested accused Khurrum and Ather. Special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa has so far examined six prosecution witnesses.