KARACHI, March 11: Five workers of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi denied on Saturday their involvement in the prisoners’ van firing case before an anti-terrorist court. Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed March 25 for hearing of final arguments from the prosecution and defence attorneys after statements by accused Mohammed Faisal alias Faisal Pehalwan, Waseem Sabir, Mazhar Hussain, Mohammed Tassaduq and Muzammil Hussain.
The LJ men are being prosecuted
for killing a constable and an under-trial prisoner during an attack on a prisoners’ van.
They were charged with attacking the prisoners’s van on Feb 28, 2002 near Bohra Pir in the Nabi Bux police limits.
According to the prosecution, the LJ men opened fire on the van which was carrying some undertrial sectarian workers to the Central Prison after producing them in the city courts. Police constable Mohammed Shakil and an undertrial prisoner, Saqib son of Meher Din, were killed in the attack. A dozen other UTPs were also injured in the incident.
Sepecial public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum is representing the state.
MURDER CASE: An anti-terrorism court recorded on Saturday the statement of two prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping and murder case of an 18-year-old man.
Mehboob Ali, a cloth merchant, was kidnapped for ransom allegedly by his relatives who slaughtered him even after receiving money for his release from his family.
The victim was running a cloth shop with his paternal uncle in Lea Market. On Aug 23, 2005, his second cousin, Uzma, called him on his mobile around 6pm when he was sitting at a close by shop of his friend, Asif. The cousin asked him to come to her house in Garden East.
Jahanzeb, husband of Uzma, his elder brother Aurangzeb and one of their relatives, Mohammed Arif, made Mehboob hostage when he reached Uzma’s house. The kidnappers contacted the victim’s family through his cellular phone and demanded Rs4 million for his release.
However, later the kidnappers agreed to accept ransom of Rs500,000 after a series of negotiations with the victim’s family. On Aug 25, the kidnappers phoned victim’s paternal uncle Asghar Ali around 4:30am and asked him to bring money at a secluded place near Lyari Expressway.
Asghar Ali, along with victim’s elder brother Mohammed Akram, took with them Rs475,000 and accordingly went to the appointed place where the kidnappers along with the victim came in a car. Asghar and Akram, who recognised the kidnappers, told them they did not need to kidnap Mehboob if they wanted money. The kidnappers, however, took the money and took away the victim along with them telling them that they would release Mehboob a little distance ahead.
While the victim’s uncle and brother were still waiting for Mehboob at the desolate place, the kidnapper again phoned Asghar and told him that they would soon find the body of Mehboob as they gave Rs25,000 short. Asghar and Akram left the place for their house in distress.
Meanwhile, the accused allegedly took Mehboob to an under-construction bungalow in Garden East where they slaughtered the trussed up victim. Sensing some suspicious activity, a resident of the vicinity called police emergency number 15.
Subsequently, Soldier Bazaar police reached the spot around 7:15am and they shifted the body to hospital where the victim remained unknown. A murder case was registered against unknown culprits.
The family came to know about the killing of the young man after they saw the news and picture of the body in an evening newspaper. Later, they told the police of the kidnapping of Mehboob by their relatives.
The Soldier police arrested accused Aurangzeb on Sept 29 near Slaughter House Road in Baghdadi on a tip-off. Uzma, Jahanzeb and Mohammed Arif have been declared absconders as they remained untraceable.
Special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined Mohammed Asif, victim’s friend, and ASI Mohammed Asif as prosecution witnesses, who were also cross-examined by defence counsel Rahim Khan Bangash.
Judge Syed Saghir Hussain Zaidi fixed March 15 for the next hearing.
Mohammed Asif deposed that on Aug 23 he had lunch with the victim around 1pm. He said during lunch the victim received a phone call on his cellular phone. He said when he asked as to who had called him, the victim told him that his cousin Uzma had called him and she wanted him to visit her house.
He said the victim phoned him after an hour and told him that he was at the house of his cousin Uzma.
