KARACHI, Aug 9: A court on Tuesday sentenced three men to seven years in prison in a bank robbery case.

However, one of the convicts managed to escape shortly after the pronouncement of the verdict.

The court found Mohammad Imran alias BC, Shahzad Qadir and Mohammad Imran alias Papa guilty of looting cash and prize bonds worth Rs2.7 million from a private bank in Dec 2005.

All the accused were on bail and appeared in court on Tuesday. As the judge pronounced the verdict, accused Imran alias BC made an easy escape from the courtroom.

However, the remaining two convicts were sent to prison with the conviction warrants.

Assistant Additional District and Sessions Judge (east) Sarwat Sultana pronounced the judgment after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each and in case of non-payment of fine the convicts would have to undergo an additional one-month imprisonment. The court in its verdict observed that the witnesses identified the accused in court and testified against them about the commissioning of the offence.

The prosecution successfully proved its case against the accessed beyond a shadow of a doubt by placing ample evidence in the court, it added.

According to the prosecution, on Dec 12, 2005 the accused along with their absconding accomplices broke into a bank within the remit of the New Town police station, took the staff hostage and looted cash, prize bonds and other valuables. Some of the staff members also sustained injuries when they tried to put up resistance, it added.