May 21, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429

KARACHI, May 20: The additional district and sessions judge-IV, east, adjourned on Tuesday the hearing of a case pertaining to the gang-rape of an 18-year-old woman on the premises of Mazar-i-Quaid due to non-production of the accused in court.

The judge issued a notice to the superintendent of Landhi Jail, directing him to ensure production of the accused in court on May 27.

According to the prosecution, an 18-year-old woman was subjected to sexual assault on the premises of the mausoleum after being kidnapped by unidentified men late night on March 15. She was found in an unstable condition outside the mausoleum on March 17.

On the complaint of her father, Brigade police registered a case (FIR No 50/2008) under Section 365/B of the Pakistan Penal Code (the section was inserted through the Protection of Women Act, 2006).

On March 20, the police arrested an assistant manager (security) of the mausoleum for his alleged involvement in the case. An accountant and a personal assistant to the resident engineer of the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum Management Board were also booked on April 24, following the receipt of a DNA report that confirmed their involvement in the assault. All the suspects were remanded to jail custody.

The charge-sheet was submitted by investigation officer Sabir Hussain in the court of a civil judge and judicial magistrate, east, Javed Hussain. According to the charge-sheet, the woman accompanied by her family came from Lodhran to visit the metropolis on March 15, the same day they visited the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam. A power breakdown occurred when her husband left her to bring in other relatives awaiting him in a bus parked outside the mausoleum. The charge-sheet says the assistant security manager of the mausoleum and his associates kidnapped her as the lights went off. She was taken to a room where she was forced to drink wine before being raped.

In another charge-sheet against an accountant and a personal assistant to the resident engineer of the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum Management Board, the investigator said that results of DNA tests of both the suspects confirmed their involvement in the gang-rape.

Kidnap for ransom

Administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts, Karachi, Dr Rana Mohammad Shamim has remanded two suspects in police custody in a kidnap for ransom case till May 27.

Mansoor Alam and Mohammad Humair, stated to be associated with a banned militant outfit and involved in Lyari gang warfare, were arrested from Jackson police limits on May 16, according to the prosecution. Police claimed the recovery of illegal weapons from their possession.

During the interrogation, the suspects disclosed that they had kidnapped Mohammad Ali on April 18 from Solider Bazaar police limits and demanded Rs20 million as ransom from his family. However, they reportedly agreed to reduce the ransom to Rs0.5 million. They released Mr Ali after receiving the ransom on May 2.

A case (FIR No 92/2008) was registered under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Illegal arms

Judicial magistrate, south, Zeeshan Akthar awarded 17-month imprisonment to an accused for keeping illegal weapons.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs500 in the case. The accessed would have to undergo an additional 15 days in jail in case of his failure to pay the fine, according to the judgment.

Earlier, the prosecutor informed the court that Dilawar was arrested after a shootout in Darakhshan police limits in November 2005. Police recovered illegal weapons from his possession. A case was later registered against him under Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance.

The accused also had cases pertaining to dacoity and shootouts with police against him.

Data theft

A textile factory owner was acquitted from the charges of stealing important data from another factory due to lack of evidence against him in a case registered under Electronic Transaction Ordinance, 2002.

The accused, Asghar Mahmood, through his counsel moved an acquittal plea under Section 256-K of the Criminal Procedure Code to the court of a senior civil judge-VI, east.

According to the prosecution, the owner and director of a textile company was booked on Dec 3, 2005 by the FIA Corporate Crime Circle for stealing textile production data from another factory.

A case (FIR No 25/2005) against the accused was registered under Sections 36 and 37 of the electronic transaction ordinance.