KARACHI, Oct 27: An anti-terrorism court adjourned on Saturday the hearing of kidnapping for ransom and murder case of two boys till Oct 29.
Seven-year-old Sajid Ilyas Masih, son of Ilyas Masih, and nine-year-old Ubaid Riaz Masih, son of Riaz Masih, were kidnapped in Christian Para, Nai Abadi, in Korangi police jurisdiction on May 21, 2007.
A former judicial magistrate, east, Ganwar Khan Gadi, was scheduled to arrive here to record his statement as a prosecution witness in the case, but he could not make it.
Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, directed Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa to produce witnesses to testify and adjourned the hearing till Oct 29.
The court has, so far, recorded the statements of a few witnesses, including a shopkeeper, Ashiq Masih, who said he had seen both the boys with Asif Masih, another resident of the locality, on May 21. On his return from the shop he saw both the boys with Asif Masih, the witness said, adding that another person appeared to be a Pathan was also going along with them toward Korangi.
He admitted that he knew the victims and their families since they were residing in his neighborhood. He also confirmed the identity of the accused Asif Masih, saying that he was also a resident of the same locality.
Medico-legal officer Dr Zeeshan, who conducted the postmortem of the bodies in Jinnah hospital, had recorded his statement in the case on Oct 22. He gave the details about the age of the boys and the injuries on their bodies.
Earlier on Oct 9, the court had recorded the depositions of two prosecution witnesses Samuel Masih and Sub-inspector Aslam Mughal.
Samuel Masih alias Samson had said that he and his friend were sitting on the pipes at a short distance from their neighborhood when he saw the two boys (Sajid and Ubaid) going with Asif Masih on the evening of May 21.
“I caught hold of Ubaid and asked him 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 another man, who appeared to be a Pathan, was also waiting for Asif and they all went toward Korangi.
“Later, the news spread in the locality that the boys had been kidnapped. I told the story to Shahbaz, Sajid’s uncle, and as a result Asif Masih disappeared from the area,” he said.
Sub-inspector Mohammad Aslam Mughal claimed that the bodies of the two victims were found during his duty hours at the Zaman Town police station. He said he informed the boys’ family and later the Anti-Violent Crime Cell about it.
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 developments in the case.
