KARACHI, Oct 20: An anti-terrorism court has adjourned the hearing in a kidnap and murder case of two boys till Oct 22 due to the non-production of the accused Asif Masih in court.

According to court’s staff, the case was adjourned as the accused Asif Masih could not be produced in court due to the prevailing situation in the city.

The two boys, seven-year-old Sajid Ilyas Masih, son of Ilyas Masih, and nine-year-old Ubaid Riaz Masih, son of Riaz Masih, were kidnapped on May 21 from Christian Para, Nai Abadi, in the Korangi police jurisdiction.

Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, had indicted the accused on Sept 28.

However, Asif Masih pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The court had recorded the statements of two prosecution witnesses on Oct 9.

A young man, Samuel Masih, alias Samson, testifying as an eyewitness told the court that on May 21 evening he along with his friend was sitting on pipes at a short distance from their neighbourhood when he saw the two boys, Sajid and Ubaid, going with Asif Masih.

“I asked one of the boys Ubaid to go back home. But he refused and asked Asif Masih to intervene. Asif asked me to let Ubaid go with him,” testified Mr Samson.

He said that another man, apparently a Pathan, was also waiting for Asif and they all went towards Korangi and later the news of the boys’ abduction spread in the locality.

“I informed Shahbaz, Sajid’s uncle about what had happened earlier that evening and as a result Asif Masih disappeared from the area”, he said.

A sub-inspector, Mohammad Aslam Mughal, said that during his duty hours at the Zaman Town police station, the bodies of the two victims had been found.

He then informed the boys’ families and the Anti-Violent Crime Cell.

He also described how the bodies were shifted to hospital with the help of Edhi volunteers, how they were identified and how the high-ups of the police department were intimated about the progress in the case.

According to the prosecution, one of the kidnappers, identified as Rehman Dakait, had asked Rs2 million as ransom, saying that he had paid Rs1.5 million for the boys.

The victims’ families told the kidnappers a number of times that they would not be able to pay such a huge amount.

The prosecution said that the kidnappers then killed the boys and disposed of the bodies by stuffing them in gunny bags.

The area police found the bodies on May 30 and shifted them to a hospital and informed their parents. The bodies were identified by the parents in the hospital.

According to the prosecution, the boys had been allegedly kidnapped by Asif Masih, son of Anwar Masih, Rehman Dakait and Asal Din.

Following the statement of Samson, the police had arrested Asif Masih in Korangi.