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KARACHI, Sept 12: An anti-terrorism court on Friday indicted three accused for kidnapping a five-year-old boy and his driver for ransom and for killing the latter in October 2007.
The accused, Nisar Ahmed, Shahzad Masih, and Munir Masih, however, pleaded not guilty and have opted to contest the case.
The judge, Hasan Ali Bukhari, of the ATC-I, who is conducting the trial, has summoned all the prosecution witnesses to testify in the case on the next date of hearing.
According to the prosecution, the accused kidnapped five-year-old Mohammad Rehan, and driver Irfan along with their vehicle on Oct 2, 2007 in the limits of the Frere police station and demanded Rs500,000 as a ransom.
Later, after receiving the amount, they released the boy but allegedly killed the driver. The police found the driver’s body and the vehicle near the Baloch Colony Bridge on Oct 3, 2007.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of the Anti-violent Crime Unit (AVCU) conducted a raid in the limits of the Mehmoodabad police station on Oct 10, 2007 and arrested the accused.The investigation officer, Tahir Naseer, said in the charge-sheet that one of the accused, Nisar, was friends with Irfan, the driver, and used to visit Rehan’s house as well.
On Oct 2, Irfan after picking Rehan up from school was on his way home when the accused along with his two associates signalled him to stop the car and got into it and took them away.
Later, they released the boy after receiving the ransom but killed Irfan out of fear that he knew them and could cause land them in trouble, the charge-sheet said.
A case (FIR No 222/07) was registered under Sections 365-A and 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act 1997 against the accused on the complaint of Shahid. The court has fixed Sept 20 as the next date of hearing.
Meanwhile, the civil judge and judicial magistrate, South, Ashraf Hussain Khawaja, remanded three suspects in judicial custody in a kidnapping case till Sept 24.
The suspects, Hassan Ahmed, Rafique, and Khaqan Javed Qazi, were arrested by the Gizri police station on Sept 5 for allegedly kidnapping Mohammad Shakir in Defence Housing Authority, Phase IV, on Sept 3 for ransom.
The suspects were on their way when Gizri police intercepted them. However, they instantly fled leaving behind the captive and the car. The police later managed to arrest the suspects. A car with a government number plate, arms, two uniforms and ID cards of a major were recovered from their possession.
A case (FIR No 331 and 325/08) was registered against the accused under Sections 365 and 170, 171, 419/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Gizri police station. The two other suspects, Umer Hayat and Nasir, were still at large.
The judge has also directed the investigation officer to submit a charge-sheet on the next date of hearing.
LJ activists’ appeals
An appellate bench of the Sindh High Court adjourned till Oct 16 the hearing of three appeals filed by the alleged leader and activists of the banned organisation, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, adds APP.
The appeals filed by Mufti Shahid Haneef, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Talha could not be taken up for hearing due to the absence of the counsel for the appellants/convicts.
The bench found that Advocate Mohammad Farooq appointed at state expense as advocate for the “pauper accused” was present in court.
Mr Farooq told the bench that the appellants who had been sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi division had hired their own counsel.
The appellants were charged with and tried for killing Dr Ishrat Hussain on July 8, 2001 in Block- D, North Nazimabad.
