December 02, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 3, 1429

KARACHI, Dec 1: Around 45 people arrested on charges of rioting and destroying public and private property in different parts of the city during ethnic violence over the past two days were remanded in 14-day jail custody on Monday.

The Pakistan Bazaar police produced 37 suspected rioters in the court of judicial magistrate (west).

The court remanded 32 suspects in jail custody while five youngsters, as they were underage, were released on Rs10,000 bail each.

A case (FIR No.484/08) under Sections 147, 148, 149 and 435/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered against the suspects at the Pakistan Bazaar police station.

Meanwhile, another judicial magistrate (west) sent five underage suspected rioters to juvenile jail on 14-day remand. They were arrested in limits of the Site police station.

The judicial magistrate (central) has remanded six suspected rioters in jail custody for 14 days. The Gulberg police registered a case against them.

Around 40 people have been killed in violence over the past two days. However the police authorities have appeared to be helpless since all the suspects produced in courts have been charged under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of one hundred or ten rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code instead of Sections 302, 324 of the PPC or under the Anti-terrorism Act while a sufficient number of arrested suspects were underage.

Khanani and Kalia

A judicial magistrate (south) on Monday further extended the physical remand of two top officials of a foreign exchange firm till Dec 3. The men were arrested for their alleged involvement in a scam involving illegal transfer of foreign currency from the country.

Javed Khanani and Abdul Munaf Kalia of Khanani and Kalia International have been charged with illegally transferring billions of dollars.

The Federal Investigation Agency arrested the suspects on the night of Nov 7 from Karachi and Lahore after initiating an inquiry on complaints of money laundering.

The FIA personnel on Monday produced the suspects in the court of the Xth judicial magistrate (south) amid tight security and sought further extension in remand.

Earlier, on Nov 21 the court remanded both the suspects in FIA custody and on Nov 26 the remand was extended till Dec 1.

A case (FIR No.76/08) was registered against them under Sections 5/8, 22/23 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947, and under Sections 7, 8 & 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2007 and Sections 420, 467, 471, 477-A of the Pakistan Penal Code at FIA crime circle branch Karachi.

Both the suspects, through their counsel, had moved bail applications in the court of district and session judge (south) which would come up for hearing on Tuesday (today).

Robbery case

An additional district and sessions judge on Monday awarded three-year imprisonment to the accused in a robbery case. The court found Mohammad Naeem guilty of committing the offence. The judge, Ahmed Saba, pronounced the judgment after recording final arguments from both sides.

In his verdict, the judge observed that the prosecution had successfully established its case against the accused by producing ample evidence and witnesses before the court.

In addition to the three-year imprisonment, the court also imposed a fine of Rs5,000. If the fine is not paid, the accused will remain in prison for an additional three months.

Naeem, the accused, was charged with forcibly entering the house of one Sarfaraz, in the limits of Sher Shah police station in 2005, and depriving him of his valuables.

Naeem was later arrested and a case registered against him under Section 392 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The case was lodged on the complaint of Sarfaraz, the victim, at the Sher Shah police station.

Kidnapping for ransom suspects remanded

The administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts, Karachi, Justice Khalid Z. Qazi, on Monday remanded two suspects into police custody till December 6 for the kidnapping of a two-year-old girl for ransom.

An Anti-Violent Crime Cell team arrested the suspects, Javed and Sohail, from the limits of Boat Basin police station on November 29.

According to the prosecution, the suspects had kidnapped Rabia, 2, the daughter of a factory owner from Bahadurabad on November 24, in collaboration with the maidservant Samreen and her aunt Yasmin. They then demanded a ransom of Rs2 million from the girl’s father and released the victim on November 26, after collecting the ransom.

The co-accused (Samreen and Yasmeen) are already in police custody until December 6.

A case was registered at Bahadurabad police station under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of ATA on the complaint of the victim’s father. Special public prosecutor Arshad Iqbal Cheema requested the court to order an identification parade of the suspects.

Meanwhile, the same court remanded a suspect into police custody till December 12 for kidnapping a six-year-old for ransom.

Amjad was charged with kidnapping the child, Safiullah, from the limits of Mominabad police station on October 24. A ransom of Rs0.5 million was then demanded. The suspect took the boy to Swat, and he was later released through the intervention of a jirga.

An AVCC team then arrested the accused from the Mominabad area on November 29.