KARACHI, May 31: A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced three Bangladeshi nationals to a total of eight years in prison for unlawfully staying in Pakistan.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (Malir) Mohammad Shahid Shafiq found Shahabuddin, Mohammad Saleem and Mohammad Faizullah guilty of staying in Pakistan since May 2005 on false documents and fraudulently running a travel agency.

The court pronounced its verdict after hearing evidence of witnesses and final arguments from both sides.

The court sentenced the accused to two years in prison each under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Pakistan Penal Code and another two-year imprisonment each was awarded under the Foreigners Act.

The court ruled that all the sentences would run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, the accused arrived in Karachi from Dhaka on May 30, 2005 on forged documents and opened a travel agency in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The Federal Investigation Agency raided the agency in June 2006, arrested the accused and recovered false travel permits, forged visas and other documents from their possessions. Later, the accused were released on bail.

The FIA booked the accused in a case (FIR 301/2006) under Sections 3(2) (a) (b), 13 and 14 of the Foreigners Act and Sections 420, 468, 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The accused were taken into custody shortly after the pronouncement of the verdict and they were remanded to prison along with their conviction warrants to serve out their sentences.

The court also directed the jail authorities that after the completion of their sentences, necessary arrangements be made for the deportation of the convicts.

Ajmal Pahari acquitted for want of evidence

A sessions court on Tuesday acquitted a man in a murder case for want of evidence.

Accused Shahnawaz alias Ajmal Pahari, said to be an alleged assassin, was charged with killing Mohammad Ehtisham within the remit of the Rizvi police station in 2005.

The accused filed an acquittal application under Section 265-K (power of court to acquit the accused at any stage) of the criminal procedure code and submitted that the charge-sheet was filed after a delay of six years.

He stated that the prosecution had only examined the complainant of the case, who had not identified the accused.

He argued that the accused was not nominated in the FIR and the prosecution failed to produce any solid evidence against him. However, the public prosecutor opposed the plea.

After hearing both sides, Additional District and Sessions Judge (central) Rashida Siddiqui allowed the plea and acquitted the accused.

The CID had arrested the accused after a shoot-out in New Karachi on March 28, 2011 and alleged that he was involved in more than 100 cases of targeted killing.