KARACHI: Final arguments in doctor’s kidnap case today
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 23: The Anti-terrorism Court-I on Tuesday recorded statements of Dr Mohammad Abrar Younus and his wife, Huma, who have been accused of kidnapping a doctor, Abdul Wahab, in the limits of Shahrah-i-Noorjehan police station on April 12, 2007 and receiving ransom for his release.
The accused pleaded not guilty and submitted that they were falsely implicated in the case.
The court will hear final arguments on Wednesday.
In her statement, Huma claimed that Dr Abdul Wahab wished to marry her after she was divorced by her former husband, Mohammad Aslam. She told the court that she had been working in a private clinic frequented by the doctor who started taking interest in her during that period.
She also claimed that Dr Abdul Wahab had taken a sum of Rs150,000 from her for a joint business venture but he had not yet returned the money.
Huma claimed that she had refused to marry the doctor and this prompted him to stage a kidnap drama to implicate her and her husband in the false case.
Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa argued that Huma had not submitted any proof of the transaction she might have done with the complainant doctor. Nor had she submitted an affidavit or produced a witness to substantiate her claim, he added.
The prosecutor said the accused had failed to mention the date, time, place or any other detail about the handing over of the amount to the complainant.
On Monday, Dr Abdul Wahab was cross-examined by the defence counsel, Rana Mohammad Abdul Qayyum.
According to the prosecution, the accused couple had invited Dr Abdul Wahab to their residence in North Karachi on the pretext of their child’s circumcision and when he visited them, they tied him to a bed and demanded Rs300,000 for his release. Later, they agreed to reduce the amount to Rs40,000 and collected the same from the victim’s wife, Meraj Bano, at an intersection near their house. However, the couple was nabbed by police and ACLC personnel while returning home with the money.
Executives of the two telephone companies also deposed in the case and the calls record produced by one of them confirmed the some ransom calls having been made on the specified dates.
ASI killing case
The Anti-terrorism Court-II on Tuesday recorded the statements of several accused in the killing of an assistant sub-inspector, Khalid Jamil, who was shot dead during a demonstration held in Pak Colony area of the city on Aug 28, 2006 in protest against the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, chief of the Jamhoori Watan Party, during a military action in Balochistan.
Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon adjourned the case to Thursday when some other prosecution witnesses would record their statements.
All the accused, including Badshah Jehan Langra, Anwar Taj, Mohammad Yaqoob Taj, Nabeel Baloch, Noorul Ameen and Farooq, pleaded not guilty.
They were arrested under Sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 427 and 424 (Q&D) PPC following registration of an FIR (No.139/06).
According to the prosecution, a procession was taken out in limits of Pak Colony to condemn the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the protesters allegedly fired at police resulting in the death of ASI Khalid Jamil and injuries to a constable, Ikram.
Defence counsel Ashfaq Rafiq Janjua and Abdul Samad Baloch cross-examined the accused on Oct 10.
The court had recorded testimonies of four police officials, SI Sharif Niaz, ASI Aslam Javaid, head-constable Gauhar Abbas and constable Ikram, on Oct 9.
Referring to the testimony of police officials, the counsel said police could not identify the person who had fired the shots, adding that it was a mob and the ASI had received a stray bullet fired by some unknown person.
All the accused have been granted bail except one Nasir, who could not arrange the bail amount.
