KARACHI: 7 get death in kidnapping for ransom case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 25: An anti-terrorism court sentenced on Tuesday seven accused to death in a kidnapping for ransom case. Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 also ordered confiscation of properties of the accused, worth Rs100,000 each.
Kalimullah, Arshad Pervaiz, Mohammad Siddique, Bilal, Fateh Mohammad, Mohammad Hasan and Ali Ahmed were found guilty of having kidnapped a junk dealer's young son on May 24 last in Shah Faisal Colony.
Six accused, riding a Toyota Corolla, intercepted victim Kamran near Nauman Public School where he had gone to drop his sister on his motorbike. He was forced to sit in a car at gunpoint and two of the accused took away his bike.
The accused initially demanded Rs2 million for the release of the 18-year-old victim from his father, Ikramuddin, a Shershah-based junk dealer. However, later they agreed to accept Rs500,000 as ransom.
The victim was kept at the house of Mohammad Siddique in Safoora Goth before he was released after payment of agreed ransom at Civil Hospital. The Shah Faisal Colony police registered the case initially against unknown culprits on the complaint of the victim's father.
Later on Nov 3 last, the police arrested all the seven accused near Saba Palace after being informed of the presence of some suspicious people there. The police also allegedly seized unlicensed weapons from them.
The abductee was kept in confinement of kidnappers for 17 days who later released him after getting ransom Rs0.5 million. Special Public Prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined in all 17 prosecution witnesses, including the victim.
BAIL REJECTED: The same court (ATC-3) dismissed the bail application of two accused in a kidnapping for ransom case. The case against accused Mushtaq Jatoi, owner of a hotel at Larkana, and Hassam Uddin Langha, pertained to the kidnapping of Dr Abdul Ghafoor Bhutto, director of a marketing company, who was released after payment of Rs 2.9 million.
Five armed men kidnapped Mr Bhutto near Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Nov 17 last when he was going to his residence in the DHA. Next day, the Sharea Faisal police registered the case against unknown culprits on the complaint of Ijaz, the brother of victim's wife.
The kidnappers initially demanded Rs250 million. However, after a series of negotiations, they accepted Rs2.9 million and released the victim on Dec 18, 2004. Later, the AVCC arrested the accused, one of whom had acted as a middleman and received the ransom in three instalments.
Earlier, the judge had dismissed the application of the investigation officer, seeking release of the accused under Section 169 of the Criminal Procedure Code and ordered him to submit the final charge-sheet against the accused.
DOCTORS' CASE: The hearing of the case against the doctor brothers was adjourned till Jan 29 as the trial judge of the ATC-2 was on leave. Dr Akmal Waheed, a cardiac specialist of NICVD and Dr Arshad Waheed, a kidney physician of JMPC are facing terrorism charges of harbouring, providing medical treatment to Al Qaeda and Jundullah activists, sending them to Wana for training and giving them funds.
The hearing was fixed for recording the statement of defence witnesses. The court had recorded the statement of doctor brothers' father as first defence witness during the previous hearing.
Defence counsel Ilyas Khan and Shaukat Hiyat had filed on Jan 12 a list of as many as 17 defence witnesses, who included Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed, federal information minister, and Douglus Matthews, US consul general in Karachi.
The defence witnesses also included Dr Azhar Farooqui, chief of the National Institute of Cardio-Vascular Diseases, Dr Shershah Syed, chief of the Pakistan Medical Association and the reporters of leading dailies.
The police announced the arrest of the Waheeds on July 2, while the family claimed that they had been picked up on June 17. According to police, some Jundullah activists, arrested for their involvement in an attack on the corps commander's convoy and other terrorist activities, stated that the doctor brothers had close links with them.
It was also alleged that the two doctors sent two activists of Jundullah, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah and Mohammed Qasim to Wana for terrorist training. They also allegedly used to give shelter to Jundullah and Al Qaeda activists, who included Abu Massab, Gul Hasan and Hassam Al-Saim.
The doctor brothers were also charged with providing medical treatment to Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah and other Jundullah activists, who were injured during an attack on a Rangers mobile under the Baloch Colony Bridge.
