KARACHI, Oct 29: Former judicial magistrate, East, Ghanwar Khan Gadhi on Monday recorded his statement in a kidnapping and murder case as directed by the Anti-terrorism Court-II, headed by Abdul Ghafoor Memon.

The judge will record statement of the accused in the case on Tuesday.

According to the prosecution, seven-year-old Sajid son of Ilyas Masih and nine-year-old Ubaid son of Riaz Masih were kidnapped in Christian Para, Nai Abadi, in the Korangi police jurisdiction on May 21 this year.

On Oct 9, the court had recorded depositions of two prosecution witnesses, Samuel Masih and SI Aslam Mughal. Samuel Masih told the court that he was sitting near his neighborhood with his friend when he saw the two boys going with the accused, Asif Masih, on the evening of May 21.

“I stopped 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,” the witness stated. He said another man was waiting for Asif and they all went toward Korangi.

Later, the news of the boys’ kidnapping spread in the neighbourhood, he said, adding that he narrated what he had seen to Shahbaz, Sajid’s uncle. Asif had already disappeared from the locality, he said.

The magistrate, Ghanwar Khan Gadhi, identified the accused, Asif Masih, and said that he had recorded his confessional statement on June 18, 2007.

The defence counsel, Ashfaq Rafiq Janjua, submitted to the court that the magistrate had written his statement in English which was against the relevant rules. He said the statement should have been made in Urdu or the mother tongue of accused so that the latter could understand the contents.

Investigation officer of the case Mohammad Babar of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) also recorded his statement, and said that he had not seen the dead bodies as they had been sent to the morgue of Edhi Centre on May 31. However, he added, he had seen the victims’ photographs displayed at the Edhi Centre for identification. The defence counsel said that the IO’s statement on the victims’ age contradicted with that of the MLO concerned.

He said the victims’ bodies were found 10 days after they were killed and they were beyond recognition. “How did the IO recognize them?” he questioned.

On Oct 22, the court had recorded statement of an eyewitness and MLO, Dr Zeeshan, who had performed the victims’ postmortem at the JPMC. He informed the court about the victims’ age and the injuries inflicted on their bodies.

Another prosecution witness, Ashiq Masih, a shopkeeper in the neighbourhood, had deposed that he had seen the two boys going somewhere with Asif Masih on May 21. He also confirmed the involvement of a third person, saying he had seen that man heading towards Korangi with the boys and Asif.