KARACHI, March 8: An anti-terrorism court deferred on Wednesday the judgment in a kidnapping for ransom case. Judge Saghir Hussain Zaidi of the ATC-3 fixed March 14 for the pronouncement of judgment.
Akram alias Shaheen, Gul Hasan Brohi, Abdul Jalil have been 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.
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 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 the charges against him under Section 169 of the CrPC.
The police submitted the chargesheet 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.
CASE AGAINST IMTIAZ: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 adjourned the hearing of a kidnapping for ransom case against sacked provincial revenue minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh and others after recording the statements of a prosecution witness.
The judge fixed March 10 for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined Assistant Sub-inspector Mohammed Aslam Gondal as prosecution witness.
Two accused — Mahfooz Ahmed in custody and Ateeq Ahmed Siddiqui on bail -– are being tried in the case, while the case of absconders, including Imtiaz Shaikh, has been kept on dormant.
The case against the sacked minister co-accused Agha Asghar, Nasir Mehmood, Mehmood Zakir, Mohammad Ashfaq and Ateeq Ahmed Siddiqui was registered by the Korangi police on March 28, 2005, on the complaint of Zafar Iqbal, who alleged that his 17-year-old son was kidnapped on June 28, 2003, on the directives of the sacked minister.
The complainant alleged that the accused kidnapped Umer Iqbal from his house in Qayyumabad and demanded Rs1.5 million from his wife for the release of his son. He further alleged that the accused released his son after receiving Rs700,000 at the house of Imtiaz Shaikh.
ASI Gondal submitted that he was the duty officer on March 28, 2005, at the Korangi police station. He said the complainant came to the police station around 11pm for lodging the FIR. He said the complainant stated that he could not get the FIR registered against the accused in time as he was in the jail.
