KARACHI, March 23: The Anti-Dacoity and Robbery Cell arrested on Friday a suspected bandit in the murder of three brothers. DSP Ghulam Rasool Abro of the ADRC told a press conference that Nabbu alias Nabi Bux alias Momin Brohi was involved in the killing of three young brothers, Jamal Noor Khan, Shadab Noor Khan and Salman Noor Khan, during a bungled house robbery on Aug 23, 1998, in Defence. The fourth brother of the victims, Adil Noor Khan, was also critically injured in the incident.

He said the suspect was arrested on a tip-off at Safoora Goth. He said that during the preliminary interrogation the suspect disclosed to have been arrested by the Darakhshan police in 2002 in a robbery case. The DSP said the suspect was released on bail two years ago.

It may be recalled that one of his alleged accomplices was earlier arrested and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court. However, the condemned prisoner got a new lease of life when the victims’ family pardoned him on the eve of execution.

Ali Nawaz Khoso was sentenced to death on May 15, 1999 by the then judge of the ATC-III, Arshad Noor Khan, for killing the three brothers during a bungled house robbery on Aug 23, 1998. The fourth brother of the victims, Adil Noor Khan, was also critically injured in the incident.

The mother, three sisters and the surviving brother of the victims and the widow of one of them appeared before the court and submitted that they had pardoned the murderer.

Six family members who appeared before the court were: Amtul Saboor, mother; Adil Noor Khan, brother; Farzana, Shahnaz and Sameena, sisters, and Rehana Jamal, widow of Jamal Noor Khan.

Convict Khoso, along with two other accomplices – Khuda Bux Khoso, son of Pir Bux Khoso, and Nabi Bux Khoso, son of Khuda Bux Khoso – barged into the house of the victims around 4:30am.

The family members woke up and the bandits opened fire on them killing three brothers and injuring the other. One of the bandits, Khuda Bux, was also killed by the firing of his two accomplices, who fled the scene.

A month later, the police arrested Ali Nawaz Khoso during investigation. He was first tried by the defunct military court which sentenced him to death. However, he was sent up for retrial to the ATC after the Supreme Court set aside all convictions awarded by the defunct military courts.

The ATC-III found him guilty of having killed the three brothers and condemned him to death on May 15, 1999. The convict filed an appeal against the trial court judgment in the Sindh High Court, which upheld his conviction on Nov 14, 2001.

Khoso preferred an appeal against the SHC verdict in the Supreme Court. The SC, too, maintained the death penalty on Sept 10, 2003.

The condemned prisoner again filed a criminal review petition in the Supreme Court, which also dismissed the petition.

Finally, the convict filed a mercy petition with the President who also dismissed his plea.