KARACHI, Sept 28: Two brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment by a district and sessions court on Wednesday in a murder case.

The court found the brothers — Mansoor and Shahzad — guilty of killing their friend, Sajjad, within the remit of the Sharea Faisal police station in Oct 2008.The court also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each with a direction to pay the amount to the legal heirs of the deceased.

In case of non-payment, they would have to undergo an additional three-month imprisonment.

District and Sessions Judge (east) Sadiq Hussain Bhatti ruled that there was strong circumstantial evidence against both the accused persons.

“Both the accused as well as deceased were living in the same building and they were seen together shortly before the murder,” the verdict said.

It said that there was no enmity between the parties except the suggestion that the victim used to like the sister of the accused persons, but there was no overt affair as stated by a prosecution witness.

The verdict said that the accused were linked to the present case by the prosecution witnesses and their evidence was fully corroborated by medical reports.

The court said that according to the medical reports, alcohol was found in the stomach of the victim, adding that alcohol consumption had shown its effect and, therefore, the accused had put a pillow over the face of the victim. “The prosecution story is like a chain, which does not seem to have any break at any place and all the prosecution witnesses have deposed in the line of prosecution story and have been fully corroborated as stated above,” it added.

“The prosecution has been able to bring the charge against both the accused at home by placing ample evidence before the court,” it concluded.

A case (FIR 750/2008) was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the deceased’s father at the Sharea Faisal police station.