SAHIWAL, Aug 2: A murder convict, whose execution was put off almost a month ago after his brother and accomplices kidnapped a child of the complainant party, was hanged in the Sahiwal Central Jail on Tuesday.

The kidnapped boy could not, however, be recovered as no member of convict Iqbal Bali’s family turned up to take his body. His neighbour, Arshad, took the body.

According to sources, the convict was hopeful that his execution would be delayed once again to save the life of Jaffar, a nephew of Mahmood Ahmad who was killed by Iqbal in 1990.

Harappa police investigation team in-charge Ejaz Mubashar Bhatti quizzed the convict the other day to get some information about the kidnapped boy. He quoted Iqbal Bali as informing him that his friends had shifted the boy to the tribal area.

Iqbal was due to be hanged on July 6 but his brother Talib Husain, who was on a bail in the same case along with 12 other accomplices, kidnapped Jaffar. The convict’s execution was put off when the family threatened to kill the boy.

Subsequently, the district and sessions judge fixed Aug 2 for the execution.

The district police have failed to recover the boy for almost a month. They, however, arrested three of the kidnappers and sent them to the central jail on judicial remand.

JOIN PPP: Three office-bearers of the ruling PML on Tuesday joined the PPP at a meeting held at Chak 93/6-R.