KARACHI: Officials give contradictory statements - Multiple murder case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 23: Two police officials, who appeared as prosecution witnesses in a case against an alleged worker of the banned Hizbul Tahreer, gave on Tuesday contradictory statements before an anti-terrorism court.
The case pertained to distribution of pamphlets outside a mosque by Syed Suleman Hasan. Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 put off hearing till Wednesday after deposition by Inspector Syed Mehmood, SHO of Supermarket, and SI Mohammad Arshad, who were also cross-examined by defence counsel Ashfaq Rafique Janjua. The two police officials were members of the police party which arrested the accused.
According to prosecution, a police party arrested Syed Suleman Hasan on Oct 10 at 5:40am in front of Rahmania Masjid in Liaquatabad and seized from him pamphlets in a shopping bag containing objectionable material.
Special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa first examined the SHO, who deposed that he had received information about the presence of the accused on his cellular phone from one of his special informers.
He said that he, along with a police patrol, reached the spot where accused was distributing pamphlets among passers-by. The SHO also stated that he immediately brought the accused to the police station as there was a law and order situation, and there was a crowd.
The second prosecution witness, SI Mohammad Arshad, however, stated that he was the mobile officer, patrolling the area along with the SHO and other policemen. He said a passer-by informed the police patrol about the presence of the accused near Rahmania Masjid.
He said the accused was not distributing pamphlets as he was standing all alone with no one passing by. He, however, stated that the accused was carrying a shopping bag in his hand.
To a suggestion, he also admitted that he was on duty between 8pm (Oct 17) and 8am (Oct 18). He also admitted that it was the case of prosecution that the accused was arrested around 5:40am on Oct 17. The defence counsel also brought on record all contradictions between the statements of two police witnesses.
MURDER CASE: An anti-terrorism court put off hearing of a multiple murder case after recording statements of a prosecution witness. The judge fixed Wednesday for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined Mohammed Zubair, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel Jaffer Ali.
SI Mazhar Iqbal, Syed Adul Hafeez and Manzoor Ahmed appeared as prosecution witnesses. The case pertained to the murder of a woman, her two daughters and a son, and their neighbour on June 11 in her house in Surjani Town. The four women were also gang-raped by four bandits.
Earlier, on July 15, 1999, the then judge of the ATC, Mohammad Javed Alam, had prosecuted three accused for the murder of Shahnaz, her daughters, Shahnaz and Asifa, her son Maqsood, and their neighbour Momal.
The ATC-5 sentenced Amjad Khan alias Amjad Lodhi to death and acquitted the third accused Rehan. However, later the Sindh High Court set aside the sentence on the appeals of the convicts.
The court also acquitted accused Amjad and Rehan of the charge of possessing illegal arms. According to prosecution, a revolver and a dagger were recovered from accused Amjad and Rehan respectively.
INDICTED: An accountability court indicted a former official of the sales tax department and his wife for amassing wealth through illegal and corrupt means.
Judge Qaiser Iqbal of the AC-1, who is also the administrative judge of all ACs in Karachi division, fixed Dec 1 for recording statements of prosecution witnesses after Shamim Ahmed Siddiqui and his wife, Ms Shaista Shamim, denied the charges and pleaded "not guilty".
According to prosecution, Shamim Siddiqui joined the service as a steno-typist on Nov 20, 1976, in the sales tax department. Later, he was promoted as senior auditor and he was placed under suspension in 2000 on corruption charges.
The accused, who was arrested on Aug 12 amassed wealth and raised several assets in a period between 1985 and 1999 beyond his known means of income. He was allegedly living a lavish life and he purchased properties in his and his wife's name.
The salary income of the accused was estimated at around Rs 872,000, while he spent over Rs1.8 million on different expenditures. Besides, the couple was found owning a plot in the DHA, an apartment in the Sea View and a bungalow in the DHA's Phase V.
The accused was maintaining three bank accounts and had a total deposit of Rs2 million. Ms Shaista, who was on bail, was charged with getting benefit from the ill-gotten wealth acquired by her husband through corruption and corrupt means. The couple was represented by defence counsel S. M. Iqbal, while special public prosecutor Naeem Akhter Tanoli represented the prosecution.
