21 January 2005	Friday	10 Zilhaj 1425

KARACHI, Jan 20: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to three accused involved in cyber crime subject to their depositing Rs1.6 million, the amount they are alleged to have ripped off by skimming credit cards on internet.

A complaint was lodged by the Union Bank against the accused. In the absence of specific provisions dealing with cyber crime, they were booked under Section 420 (fraud) and 468 (misappropriation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Appearing for the applicants, Advocate Mohammad Ashraff Kazi submitted that there was no complaint on record against them by the holders of the credit cards allegedly issued by the complainant bank and misused by the accused. The prosecution could not produce a bill evidencing shopping by the accused on the bank's credit cards. The offences they had been charged with were bailable.

A division bench comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and M. Mujibullah Siddiqui ordered that the accused be released on bail if they deposited the amount they were alleged to have swindled with the SHC Nazir.

MURDER CASE: Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro allowed bail to Ahmed Zaheer in the murder case of diamond merchant Irfan last November against a security of Rs200,000.