April 29, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1429

KARACHI, April 28: The civil judge and judicial magistrate, East, Allah Bachayo, on Monday remanded two suspects in judicial custody till May 9 for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape of an 18-year-old woman on the premises of the Mazar-i-Quaid.

The police on April 24 had arrested an accountant and a personal assistant to the resident engineer of the Quaid-i-Azam Management Board following the receipt of the DNA report confirming their involvement in the case. The court on April 25 had remanded them in police custody for three days.

The investigation officer in the case, Sabir Hussain, requested the court to extend the remand of the suspects for further probe. However, the defence counsel, Maqboolur Rehman, prayed to the court to send the suspects to jail as according to him, the IO had failed to make any progress during the suspects’ three-day remand in police custody.

An official of the mausoleum’s security, arrested on March 20 for his alleged involvement in the case, is already in jail.

According to the prosecution, an 18-year-old woman was subjected to sexual assault after being kidnapped from the premises of the Mazar by unknown men on the night of March 15 and was found in an unstable condition outside the mausoleum on March 17.The case (FIR No 50/08) was registered at the Brigade police station under Section 365/B of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of her father.

Show-cause notice

The additional district and sessions judge, East, Rana Zaki Shamsi, adjourned the hearing of a 12-year-old boy’s murder case till May 13 and issued a show-cause notice to the investigation officer for not appearing in court to testify in the case.

The judge also directed the police high-ups to block the salary of the IO concerned and ensure his presence in court on the next date of hearing.

Earlier, the court had indicted the accused, Hafiz Manzoor Ahmed, a Moazzin of a mosque in Shah Faisal Colony, on a charge of killing a 12-year-old boy in the mosque. He pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

According to the prosecution, the body of the boy, Mohammad Anas, was found hanging in Masjid-i-Aqsa, in Shah Faisal Colony on Oct 30, 2007. Police suspected the boy was murdered and that it was not a suicide case.

The Shah Fasial Colony police had registered a case (FIR No 294/2007) under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code against Hafiz Manzoor Ahmed. The accused was arrested on November 1, 2007 and the court remanded him in judicial custody.

The IO in the case, Sub-inspector Ghulam Mustafa Shah, said in the charge-sheet that the accused had tried to sexually assault the boy but when the boy put up resistance, the accused killed him.

Remand extended

The judicial magistrate, East, Pervez Qadir Memon, has extended the police remand of two suspects in a case pertaining to the murder of a retired faculty member of the University of Karachi till April 30.

The prosecution said that the body of Dr Zeba Zakia, 75, was found dumped in the bushes on January 29 in the jurisdiction of the Sachal police station. The deceased was unmarried and used to live alone in her Gulshan-i-Iqbal residence.

The police had booked the deceased’s driver, Saleem alias Shabbir, her housemaid, Khalida, and Munir Abbasi on charges of killing the retired professor. Khalida was remanded to judicial custody till May 3.

Police had registered a case under Section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Sachal police station.

Hearing put off

The additional district and sessions judge, Central, Tasneem Sultana, adjourned the hearing of a case pertaining to the murder of a newly-wed couple till May 7 on the request of the complainant.

Hafiz Shaikh Mohammad Azeem and his bride Beenish were found dead under mysterious circumstances the next morning of their wedding night in their North Nazimabad apartment in the limits of Taimuria police on August 11, 2007.

The investigation officer had nominated the father of the deceased groom, Shaikh Abdul Majeed, as the main accused in the case.

On January 11, the court had indicted Shaikh Abdul Majeed on charges of killing the couple. The accused pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

Meanwhile, the civil judge and judicial magistrate, Central, Sohail Ahmed, asked the SSP (investigation), West, to direct the investigation officer to submit a charge-sheet against the three policemen who had allegedly opened fire on two motorcyclists.

The court had already issued many show-causes to the IO but he failed to comply with the court’s orders.

According to the prosecution, police constables Mohammad Imran, Arif Hussain and Salman Farsi had allegedly opened fire on Zubair Khan and Mohammad Saqib on March 21 near Sakhi Hasan, North Nazimabad. Both the youngsters were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where Zubair was pronounced dead on arrival while Saqib was in a critical condition.

A case (FIR No 164/08) was registered under Sections 302, 324/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Taimuria police station against the policemen.

Agha Javed Pathan case

The civil judge and judicial magistrate-III, South, has directed the investigation officer to submit a charge-sheet against Agha Javed Pathan within two days.

The prosecution said that Pathan was booked on April 9 on charges of manhandling the former Sindh chief minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and possessing illegal weapons, hashish and a stolen motorcycle.

Three cases (FIR Nos 199/08, 200/08 and 201/08) were registered against him under Sections 392 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 13-D of the Arms Ordinance and Section 6/9-A of Control of Narcotic Substance Act at the Preedy police station.