November 29, 2008	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 30, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 28: An anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for kidnapping a 12-year-old boy for ransom.

The ATC-II headed by Abdul Ghafoor Memon convicted Mohammad Ali for kidnapping Ali Zoher, son of Mohammad Arif, on June 19, 2008 in the limits of Ferozabad police station and demanding ransom for his release. The court also ordered confiscation of the convict’s property.

Earlier, the court recorded final arguments of the prosecution and defence counsel.

Satisfied by the evidence produced by the prosecution against the convict, the judge said in his ruling that the documentary evidence was corroborated by the prosecution witnesses.

According to the prosecution, the convict had kidnapped the boy at gunpoint on Kashmir Road while the victim was going to the KMC swimming pool. The kidnapper demanded Rs30 million as ransom from the victim’s family and threatened to kill the boy if the demand was not met. However, the ransom amount was later reduced to Rs15 million and the victim’s father was asked to deliver the money at a specified place near Soldier Bazaar.

In the meantime, the affected family approached the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) which formed a team and arrested Mohammad Ali when he came to receive the ransom. The police also recovered the kidnapped boy and an unlicensed pistol from his possession.

A case (FIR No 591/08) was registered against the kidnapper under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of Anti Terrorism Act at the Ferozabad police station on the complaint of the victim’s father.

The police had registered another case (FIR No 44/08) under Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance against Mohammad Ali.

Special public prosecutor Taseer Khan produced seven witnesses, including the victim who identified the kidnapper.

Acquitted

The ATC-I headed by Syed Hassan Shah Bukhari on Friday acquitted a man, Mohammad Tanveer, in a kidnapping for ransom case.

Mohammad Tanveer was accused of kidnapping Mohammad Moosa and his colleague, Fozia Ali, on July 25, 2007 in North Nazimabad.

After recording final arguments of the prosecution and defence counsel, the court observed that the prosecution could not establish its case against the accused whereas one of the victims and complainant turned hostile and the woman victim did not turn up to testify. The court also found contradictions in the statements of witnesses.

According to the charge-sheet, the accused, along with his absconding associate, had kidnapped Mohammad Moosa and Fozia Ali from the parking area of a restaurant, falling in the limits of North Nazimabad police station. The accused snatched their mobile phones and ATM cards and demadned Rs1 million for their release, it said.

It stated that the victims were being taken to some unknown place in a car which had to be stopped at the Numaish traffic signal. One of the victims managed to get off the car and raise hue and cry attracting attention of a mobile police team, also at the signal. Eventually, Tanveer was arrested though his companion, Mukhtar, managed to escape, the prosecution side claimed.

The case (FIR No.276/07) was registered against the accused under Section 365-A/34 of PPC read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act at North Nazimabad police station on the complaint of Mohammad Moosa. Mukhtar was declared absconder in the case.

The defence counsel, during the court proceedings, argued that the complainant had turned hostile while Fozia Ali did not appear in court to testify. He further submitted that the deposition of the policemen examined by the prosecution should be considered as invalid since the key witnesses of the case did not testify.

The special public prosecution, Mohammed Khan Burirro, argued that although the complainant had turned hostile and the eyewitness had not testified, this did not damage the persecution’s case, insisting that seven prosecution witnesses were examined and their testimonies were valid since the accused was arrested red-handed.