KARACHI, Aug 2: A 20-year-old man was killed during a probable escape bid at the City Courts on Thursday. While awaiting production in the court of Judicial Magistrate (South), Asif Ahmed, the accused Waheed Ahmed managed to free his hands, pushed aside police constable Khurshid and jumped from the second floor of the court building. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi but succumbed to his injuries.

The investigation officer (IO) of the case, Mohammed Imran, told Dawn that he had been in the courtroom when the incident took place.

“I came to know what had happened when I heard peoples’ cries and saw them running towards the accused man,” he said.

The accused, son of Manzoor, had been arrested under Section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint (FIR No 216/07) of eunuch Saajid Mehmood, son of Abdul Qayum.

Police said that the accused man used to take money from Mehmood and when the latter refused to pay more, the deceased threw acid on him.

Officials are investigating the man’s death to apportion responsibility.

This was the second case of this nature during 2007. In March, an accused man, Afzal, jumped from the same building and survived with serious fractures. An official of the Mehmoodabad police station commented that police personnel are supposed to tie a prisoner’s handcuffs to their belt, but this procedure is often omitted.