KARACHI, Feb 14: An anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing of a kidnapping for ransom case against two accused, including a police official, after recording the statement of a prosecution witness.
The ATC-1 fixed Wednesday for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined PW Assistant Sub-inspector Ghulam Shabbir Ahmed, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel Javed Mir Shaikh.
Inspector Faheem Farooqui of the Industrial Crime Unit and Altaf are being prosecuted for kidnapping Fahad Rasheed Hamdani, the 22-year-old son of a vice president of a bank, on Sept 30 last year in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Victim’s real maternal uncle, Mohammed Yaqoob, is an absconding accused.
According to prosecution, the accused called out Fahad from his house and took him away in a car around 3pm. The kidnappers initially demanded Rs800,000 from the victim’s father, but later they agreed to accept Rs200,000 as ransom at the victim’s house.
In the meanwhile, it was alleged, the banker reported the matter to police and Citizen-Police Liaison Committee. A special team of police and CPLC officials took positions near the victim’s house.
Altaf allegedly reached the victim’s house around 11:30pm on his motorcycle. He left the victim’s house around 11:30pm after receiving the money. ASI Ghulam Shabbir Ahmed, who was positioned near the victim’s house on motorcycle, chased accused Altaf.
It was alleged that accused Altaf rode to the Nipa Chowrangi where his accomplices were waiting for him in their car. He gave the money to his accomplices, who handed victim to him and sped away. The police team arrested accused Altaf as he got the victim on his bike.
Later, on Oct 20, the police also arrested Inspector Faheem Farooqi. The victim’s uncle, however, remained untraceable and he was declared an absconder.
RANSOM CASE: An anti-terrorism court put off on Tuesday hearing of a kidnapping for ransom case against three accused after recording the statement of a prosecution witness.
Judge Syed Saghir Hussain Zaidi of the ATC-3 fixed Wednesday for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined the judicial magistrate, South, Khushi Mohammed.
Akram alias Shaheen, Gul Hasan Brohi, Abdul Jalil are being prosecuted for kidnapping Zakir Rehman, a grain dealer, and his two young sons for ransom, who were released after payment of Rs3.4 million.
The magistrate submitted that he had conducted the identification parade of accused Abdus Salam, who was duly identified by two prosecution witnesses – Habibrur Rehman, brother of the victim, and Asadullah, son of the victim.
According to prosecution, the trader was going home on his bike on Oct 15, when eight occupants of a Suzuki pick-up intercepted him in Chakiwara and took him away at gunpoint. The kidnappers demanded Rs4 million for his release.
It was alleged that on Oct 25 victim’s wife, Zakia, his two sons, Abdullah, 13, and Haseebur Rehman, and his elder brother, Habibur Rehman, met the kidnappers at an appointed place in Chakiwara where the three accused received Rs500,000 as part payment of ransom.
The kidnappers, however, made the victim’s sons hostage before they released the trader. The accused asked the trader to pay the remaining Rs3.5 million for the release of his kids.
According to prosecution, after 10 days the trader went to meet the kidnappers and got the kids released after paying them further Rs2.9 million. He finally reported the matter to the police after the kidnappers kept on demanding the remaining Rs600,000 from him and threatened him of dire consequences in case of non-payment.
The police initially arrested five accused – Akram alias Shaheen, Gul Hasan Brohi, Abdul Jalil, Abdus Salam and Nadir. However, later the ATC-3 ordered the release of accused Nadir after the police withdrew charges against him under Section 169 of the CrPC.
The police submitted charge-sheet against four accused and showed eight others as absconding accused. The absconders were: Razzaq Commando, Serwer, Shahid, Faiz, Abdul Hameed, Mohammed Rashid, Mohammad Ayub and Khuda Bux.
Later, the ATC-3 acquitted accused Abdus Salam on an application under Section 265-K. The accused submitted before the court that he was already in the judicial custody and was lodged at the District Malir jail on Oct 15, 2004 when the incident occurred.
MURDER CASE: An anti-terrorism court put off the hearing of the murder and kidnapping for ransom case of a young man, whose body was recovered in Hyderabad.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-3 fixed Thursday for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined Sub-inspector Behram Khan and ASI Mohammed Nasir of the Hyderabad police.
Abdul Asif, Mohammed Atif and Rizwan Khan, all of them in their early 20s, were charged with the kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Muneebul Haq, a resident of Gulshan-i-Maimar.
According to prosecution, Atif was the victim’s friend, also living in the same vicinity. On Oct 10, 2005, he along with his accomplices kidnapped Muneeb and took him to Hyderabad.
The kidnappers contacted the victim’s father, Qazi Mashhudul Haq, a bank manager, from victim’s cellular phone and they initially demanded Rs1 million for his release. Next day, the kidnappers took the young victim to a graveyard in Hyderabad and slaughtered him.
Asif, however, kept on calling the victim’s father and agreed to accept Rs200,000 as ransom. However, the kidnappers did not turn up to receive the money at the designated place.
