KARACHI, Feb 15: An anti-terrorism court adjourned on Wednesday the hearing of a kidnapping for ransom case after recording the deposition of a prosecution witness.
Judge Ghulam Ali Samito of the ATC-1 fixed Feb 17 for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined constable Mohammed Aqeel, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel Chaudhry Ifitkhar.
Accused Zafar Iqbal is being tried for kidnapping a nine-year-old boy, Arshad Raza son of Mohammad Raza, on Jan 1 within the limits of the PIB police.
According to the prosecution, the accused along with his two absconding accomplices kidnapped the boy from in front of his house around 2:30pm. Later, he called the victim’s father, an ice dealer, and demanded Rs7 million as ransom.
However, the kidnappers allegedly agreed to accept Rs4 million ransom after a series of negotiations with the victim’s father. It was alleged that on Jan 17 the ice dealer paid Rs300,000 to the kidnappers at an appointed place near Punjab Colony.
While the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee was trying to track down the kidnappers through their phone calls, the police on Jan 20 received a tip-off regarding the presence of kidnappers and the victim at a house in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
The police accordingly raided the house and arrested accused Zafar following a shootout. The abducted child was also recovered from there.
RANSOM CASE: An anti-terrorism court recorded the statements of two prosecution witness in a kidnapping for ransom case against three accused.
Judge Syed Saghir Hussain Zaidi of the ATC-3 fixed Feb 18 for the next hearing after the depositions of sub-inspector Imdad Hussain and constable Altaf Hussain.
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 the payment of Rs3.4 million.
SI Imdad Hussain of the Pak Colony police stated that he along with a police party was patrolling the vicinity when he received information about the presence of some suspects in the Mewashah graveyard. He said he went to the spot and arrested accused Abdul Jalil.
Constable Altaf Hussain submitted that the investigation officer of the case, Inspector Sami Jan, had effected the arrest of Mohammed Akram alias Shaheen and Gul Hasan Brohi in the instant case in his presence.
According to prosecution, the trader was going home on his bike on Oct 15, 2005 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 children.
According to prosecution, after 10 days the trader went to meet the kidnappers and got the children 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.
PRISONERS’ VAN CASE: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 put off the hearing of the prisoners’ van firing case against five workers of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi as defence counsel did not turn up.
The judge fixed Feb 21 for the next hearing after he was told that the defence counsel were engaged before the Sindh High Court.
Five workers of the banned sectarian outfit have been charged with killing a constable and an under-trial prisoner during an attack on a prisoners’ van.
Mohammed Faisal alias Faisal Pehalwan, Waseem Sabir, Mazhar Hussain, Mohammed Tassaduq and Muzammil Hussain were charged with attacking the prisoners’s van on Feb 28, 2002, near Bohrapir.
